The prevalence, seriousness, and causes of teenage work accidents: A gender difference?

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Teenage workers are prone to a higher injury risk than adult workers, and adult men are prone to a higher risk of work injuries than adult women. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to examine whether gender differences exist in teenage work accidents, the level of the accidents, their causes, and the types of the injuries. METHODS: A survey was sent to a sample of 2,800 13–19-year-olds, randomly selected from Registers Iceland. The response rate was 48.6%. A chi-square test, CI 95%, was applied to measure gender differences. RESULTS: In total, 16.3%of the respondents had at least one work accident, and 1.2%, an accident that lead to more than one week’s absence from work. No gender differences were observed in the level of the accidents, but appeared in the types of injuries and their causes. Cuts were the most common injuries of the boys, but burns of the girls. Bone fractures were the most serious injuries of the boys, but sprains of the girls. CONCLUSION: Work accidents among teenagers are a particular threat to public health. Therefore, all stakeholders need to work together to prevent teenage work accidents in the future; and to keep in mind the gender diversity of the group.