Department Of Labor Warns Parents, Teens Of Dangerous Summer Jobs

Many teenagers are getting their first summer jobs this year. But how do you know the job they are getting is safe?

Most kids are doing things like mowing lawns or babysitting for the summer. But the Department of Labor wants parents and teens to know which jobs to watch out for and which jobs to avoid altogether.

Over at Orange Leaf Yogurt Shop in northwest Oklahoma City, things are pretty sweet. This is 15-year-old Jenifer Chamreun's first summer job. And it's a job that has both her mother's and her seal of approval.

"It's pretty easy and it's fun and I like it," Chamreun said.

But not all teen summer jobs are. A survey by the Child Labor Coalition has found the five most dangerous jobs for teens are construction work, jobs that require workers to drive or operate fork lifts, lawn and landscaping jobs, Ag jobs, and traveling youth sales crews.

Read more from the Oklahoma Department of Labor.

"We're not talking about the legitimate ones like the boy scouts girls scouts school groups we're talking about these traveling youth groups that go state to state," Lester Claravall said.

Claravall is a child labor specialist at the Oklahoma Department of Labor, and says these door to door sales groups can be the most dangerous job for teens.

"They set these quotas that are impossible to reach and if they don't meet the quotas, they leave them behind in another state or in unfamiliar neighborhoods. Then you got the danger of these kids working alone without supervision," Claravall said.

Claravall says parents should become familiar with their child's workplace and that teens should not be afraid to speak up.

"If they don't feel they are properly trained to do the work, it's ok to ask questions," Claravall said.

And the Department of Labor has fliers to teach both parents, teens and their employers about child labor laws and how to keep everyone safe and out of trouble.