In a
recent post to the NIOSH Science Blog, Donna Pfirman, a program analyst in NIOSH's Education and Information Division, examined the hazards faced by young workers in retail environments. "Young workers have high workplace injury rates, explained in part by the high frequency of hazards in their typical workplaces. In retail work settings, for instance, slippery floors and use of knives and energized equipment are common hazard," she writes. "Inexperience and lack of safety training also increase injury risks for young workers."