ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the occupational health and safety (OHS) risks associated with the employment of adolescents and children in industrialized countries. While evidence about their work-related injuries and illnesses—and fatalities—is fragmentary, there are clear indications of a significant level of negative OHS outcomes. Hence, arguably, child workers in southeast and southern Asia are now more at risk of exposure to asbestos during manufacturing processes or demolition tasks that have been banned in industrialized countries. There are varying definitions about what constitutes "child" labor. The International Labour Organisation and the World Health Organization concur that child labor is work performed before the age of 15. The chapter concludes that the work-related injuries and illnesses experienced by working adolescents in industrialized countries are extensive, but these data are not fully reflected in the official databases. Thus, this epidemic remains largely non-reported and hidden.
