04.22.2010
Texas Mutual Launches Safety Program for Teen Workers in Bryan/College Station
With the goal of reducing the number of workplace injuries among teen workers, Texas Mutual Insurance Company and its partners kicked off the “One Wrong Move” campaign in Bryan/College Station on Thursday, April 22, 2010, which was declared “Teen Worker Safety Day” in the City of Bryan.
Through brochures, billboards, radio commercials, mall advertising and the OneWrongMove.org Web site, the campaign will inform teens, parents and employers in the Bryan/College Station area about workplace hazards and how to avoid them. The message of the campaign is “Workplace Accidents Are a Pain. Work Smart.”
“With this campaign, Texas Mutual and its partners hope to educate people in the Bryan/College Station area about how teen workers can avoid workplace accidents,” Ron Wright, president of Texas Mutual, said. “One wrong move in the workplace—a restaurant or a retail store, for instance—certainly can result in life-changing injuries for a teen worker.”
Representatives of Texas Mutual and Bryan Mayor D. Mark Conlee launched the campaign at The Children’s Museum of the Brazos Valley.
In addition to The Children’s Museum of the Brazos Valley, employers participating in the “One Wrong Move” campaign include Any Time Analysis, Kieschnick General Contractors, KNDE Radio and KBXT Radio.
Insurance agents participating in the “One Wrong Move” campaign include Anco Insurance and WE Gibson Insurance.
A cornerstone of the “One Wrong Move” campaign is an online workplace safety quiz. Teens in the Bryan/College Station area are invited to visit the campaign’s Web site, OneWrongMove.org, to take the quiz. After successfully completing the quiz, each participant will receive a free ticket to a movie at Cinemark Theatres.
About 80 percent of U.S. teens work during their high school years, many of them during the summer, according to the American Society of Safety Engineers. Approximately every three minutes, a teen is injured on the job, according to Workers’ Comp Insider.
According to the United States Department of Labor Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), approximately 158,000 teens sustain work-related injuries and illnesses each year. About 70 teens die on the job, and another 70,000 end up in emergency rooms.
Young workers are exposed to many of the same on-the-job risks as their adult counterparts, but they are more likely to be injured at work, the American Society of Safety Engineers reports.
Data from Texas Mutual policyholders shows the most common injuries among all employees, including those under age 21, are strains and injuries from lifting, and cuts, punctures and scrapes. Among those policyholders, businesses in the leisure and hospitality industry account for the bulk of work-related injuries among teen workers.
About the “One Wrong Move” campaign
The “One Wrong Move” campaign, sponsored by Texas Mutual Insurance Company, promotes safety among workers age 16 to 19. The campaign, which is currently being conducted in the Bryan/College Station and Tyler areas, aims to reduce workplace injuries among young workers during the summer of 2010 by educating teenagers, parents and employers about on-the-job hazards. For more information, visit www.onewrongmove.org.
Texas Mutual Insurance Company
Austin-based Texas Mutual Insurance Company is the state’s leading provider of workers’ compensation insurance. Since 1991, the company has provided a stable, competitively priced source of workers’ comp insurance for Texas employers. Helping employers and their employees prevent workplace accidents is a major part of Texas Mutual’s mission. For more information, visit www.texasmutual.com.
