Federal, City and Safety Officials to Hold Houston Teen Job Fair in April Promoting Workplace Safety

Due to the success of last year’s YouthRules! Rally/Job Fair, Houston officials announced that another will be held this April 2 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Houston’s George R. Brown Convention Center.

The free event provides a means for young workers aged 14-24 to obtain summer and post high school employment, garner job search tips, enjoy free entertainment and learn how to identify potential on-the-job safety risks, protections and training needed to avoid being injured at work.

The April YouthRules! Rally/Job Fair is hosted by the City of Houston, the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Wage and Hour Division (WHD), DOL’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the WorkSource, the American Society of Safety Engineers’ (ASSE) Gulf Coast Chapter, and sponsored by local businesses such as Valero, Construction Safety & Health Inc. and FabEnCo-The Safety Gate Company.

“Last year there was an overwhelming response to our first YouthRules! Rally/Job Fair,” OSHA’s Area Director for the Houston South Office Chuck Williams said. “Those who attended walked away with job leads, a sense of what’s safe and what’s dangerous in the workplace, free prizes, an understanding of federal and state laws that protect young workers, and, new friends.”

Wage and Hour officials will distribute information and answer questions about what young people should expect on the job, including the kinds of duties they can and cannot perform and the number of hours they can work because of their age.

“We are pleased that City of Houston officials recognize the importance of helping young Houstonians with providing key job and workplace safety information,” ASSE Member Cindy Lewis said. “As ASSE is an organization comprised of thousands of occupational safety, health and environmental professionals committed to protecting people, property and the environment this is another way we can reach young workers and educate them about the importance of knowing about workplace safety. This helps them avoid injuries and illnesses in the workplace now and in their future.”

The 2003 Bureau of Labor’s Occupational Fatal Injury Report said fatalities are up nationally for those 25 and under. In the U.S. in 2003 5,559 workers died from on-the-job accidents and 4.4 million more suffered on-the-job injuries and illnesses, including close to 80,000 teens.

For more information on the event go to www.assegulfcoast.org and for a copy of ASSE’s free “Workplace Safety Guide for New Workers” visit www.asse.org/newsroom.