Nick Blowers and Justin Schumacher educate peers about job safety

Job safety for teens was the focus of a work-based learning internship recently completed by Fort Plain senior Justin Schumacher and junior Nicholas Blowers.

The students created job safety graphics after learning about the number of teens injured on the job each year and the importance of workplace safety awareness for teens. Their project is now educating others in their school.

Justin and Nick drafted a map of the hazards in a grocery store. Upon finishing the draft map, Nick completed the layout of the grocery store using Google Slides and color coded the hazards that each identified.

To share this concept and importance with classmates, Justin and Nick developed the grocery store hazard map and related materials into graphics that are on display in the hall at the Jr./Sr. High School for their schoolmates to view.

Common jobs for today’s teen might include working in a grocery store, bagging groceries or selecting items for the customer to pick up. To address this need, Justin worked to develop graphics to share with his schoolmates that demonstrate proper ways to pack groceries in order to prevent damage, preserve freshness, prevent spoilage and reduce the chance of cross-contamination.

The students also hosted a special guest, HFM BOCES Transition Specialist Scott Iovinella, with whom they proudly shared their work.

Below are some statistics that Justin and Nick learned while reviewing the workplace safety curriculum:

• Approximately 1.6 million teens (age 15–17) in the United States work. About 50% of 10th graders and 75% of 12th graders have jobs.
• Many youths are injured on the job.
• On average, each year;
  • 59,800 workers younger than 18 are sent to the ER for job-related injuries, but actual injury statistics are much higher.
  • 37 workers younger than 18 die on the job.
  • Young workers are twice as likely to be injured than adult workers.

View more photos on the Fort Plain CSD Facebook page.