Deaths at work among children and adolescents
K. A. Dunn and C. W. Runyan
Department of Emergency Medicine, East Carolina University School of Medicine, Greenville, NC.
OBJECTIVE--To identify and describe all nonmilitary on-the-job injury
fatalities in North Carolina among persons younger than 20 years over 10
years, with special attention to potential violations of the Fair Labor
Standards Act. DESIGN AND SETTING--Historical, population-based case
series, with cases identified by the computerized files of the North
Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. CASES--Persons younger than
20 years who died of injuries received on the job in North Carolina between
January 1, 1980, and December 31, 1989. RESULTS--We identified 71 cases.
Decedents ranged in age from 11 to 19 years, with 41% aged 17 years or
younger. Cases were disproportionately male (90%), white (80%), and injured
during June, July, and August (44%). Farm or field was the most frequent
place of injury (27%). More than 50% of injuries involved a motorized
vehicle, frequently a tractor. Similar to studies in adults, homicide was
the leading cause of fatal occupational injury for females. At the time of
injury, 86% of workers younger than 18 years were involved in activities
that appeared to violate the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938.
CONCLUSIONS--This study raises questions about the adequacy of federal
child labor policies as minors continue to work under conditions that place
them at risk for fatal injuries.
