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MISSOURI
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
“SAFE JOBS FOR YOUTH” CAMPAIGN KICKOFF ANNOUNCED
Jefferson City, MO -- With the arrival of summer and hundreds
of youth preparing to take summer jobs and enter the workforce, the Missouri
Department of Labor and Industrial Relations today announces the start
of the "Safe Jobs for Youth" awareness campaign. The campaign is
designed to focus on preventing youth injuries in the workplace.
To help celebrate this initiative, Governor Bob Holden proclaimed June
to be "Safe Jobs for Youth Month.”
In addition, the Department's Division of Labor Standards announces
a partnership with the Missouri Restaurant Association (MRA) to move workplace
safety issues to the forefront. Both groups will work together to
provide food service industry employers the tools they need to prevent
these injuries to Missouri’s working teens. According to the National
Institute of Occupational Safety & Health, each year approximately
200,000 teenagers are injured on the job (some fatally) in the United States.
Of that, an average of over 2,000 of Missouri’s youth under 18 suffered
injuries severe enough to file for workers’ compensation.
Many young people will enter the workplace, some for the first time
and may be unaware of potential hazards on the job and not know about the
laws designed to protect them in working environments. "Missouri’s
child labor law allows young people to acquire work experience and income,
while safeguarding their scholastic advancements and physical well-being,"
explained Catherine B. Leapheart, director of the Missouri Department of
Labor and Industrial Relations.
The Missouri Restaurant Association serves over 3500 members and is
the largest trade association in the state of Missouri. The industry
projects sales for 2004 at $6.3 billion with over 15,000 establishments
and over 200,000 employees. The Association works closely with the
foodservice and hospitality industry to help these Missouri businesses
operate more effectively and improve their business environment in the
state. For further information on the Missouri Restaurant Association,
please call (877) 413-7029 or go to www.morestaurants.org.
“All Missouri restaurants are covered by the Missouri Child Labor Law
whether or not they are covered by Federal Laws. To the extent Missouri
Law is more restrictive than the Federal Law, both laws must be observed.
MRA encourages all restaurateurs to know the restrictions and provide a
safe working environment for the industry’s future leaders,” stated Pat
Bergauer, Executive Vice President of the MRA.
The Division of Labor Standards works closely with parents, educators,
employers and other state agencies to further promote safe working environments
for Missouri's youth. For more information or a copy of their brochures,
please call (573) 751-3403 or go to www.dolir.mo.gov/ls.
The “Safe Jobs for Youth” campaign is part of a national effort in conjunction
with the Interstate Labor Standard’s Association’s National Child Labor
Awareness Campaign.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Tammy Cavender (573) 751-7500
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 17, 2004
Information and Planning · 3315 W. Truman Blvd.
· P.O. Box 1958 · Jefferson City, MO 65102-1958
573-751-7500 · 573-751-6552 (Fax)
Relay Missouri: 1-800-735-2966 (TDD) 1-800-735-2466 (Voice)