FIVE WORST TEEN JOBS

WASHINGTON, DC, June 30, 1997 - The National Consumers League (NCL) today released its alert, Five Worst Teen Jobs. Citing safety data and common sense, NCL identifies jobs that are inappropriate and dangerous for youth:

1. DELIVERY AND OTHER DRIVING: including operating or riding on forklifts and other motorized equipment
   
2. WORKING ALONE IN CASH-BASED BUSINESSES: such as convenience stores, gasoline stations, and fast food establishments
   
3. TRAVELING YOUTH CREWS: selling candy, magazine subscriptions, other consumer goods on street corners, in strange neighborhoods, distant cities, and across state lines
   
4. Jobs where employers pay "UNDER THE TABLE" wages
   
5. CONSTRUCTION: including work in heights and contact with electrical power
   

With more than three million teens entering the workforce this summer, NCL directs teens away from jobs proven to be dangerous or lacking protection of the law.

"The jobs on this list should be a red flag to teens and parents that there are safety concerns," said Linda F. Golodner, League president. "Any employment has the potential to be a great job or a dangerous one. It's a tragedy when a summer or after-school job is a teen's last job. The caution is well-deserved, given that every year an estimated 200,000 youth are injured on the job and more than 100 are killed."

To assist parents, NCL has released an updated "Parents Primer: When Your Teen Works." The brochure offers employment guidelines and tips for parents on teen employment.

Parents' Primer was first released in 1993, and is distributed to parents upon request and has been widely disseminated through the National PTA network. The Primer helps parents set sensible guidelines for their working teens -- including maximum hours of work and late night hours.

"There are safe jobs and good jobs for teens which offer them a worthwhile life experience," said Golodner. "But, parents must be vigilant, working with their teenagers and their employers to ensure their child's safety and well-being."

NCL particularly cautions parents to know the law and what tools and machinery their teens are using on the job. Many machines are prohibited by law for minors to use or operate, such as power-driven slicing machines. Parents should question if their teen is operating, cleaning, or disassembling power-driven slicers, which are a standard piece of equipment in many grocery stores and restaurants. Parents should also be sure their child is paid at least the legal minimum wage and work only during legal hours, NCL recommended.

The NCL alert is available on the Child Labor Coalition's web site for the Safe Work This Summer Campaign. Throughout the campaign, NCL will post information on the site to help teens stay safe on their jobs and to gain feedback from working youth on safety issues.

For a copy of the Parent's Primer, send $1 to the National Consumers League, 1701 K Street, NW, Suite 1200, Washington, DC 20006.