Adolescent Occupational Injury

Young workers are inexperienced and often unaware of the hazards in their workplaces so it’s critical they receive proper training and supervision to minimize their risk of injury.

Dr. Kimberly Rauscher is an Associate Professor in the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences at the West Virginia University School of Public Health. She received her ScD in Work Environment Policy and MA in Regional Economic and Social Development from the University of Massachusetts Lowell.  Prior to joining WVU, she served as Senior Research Scientist at the University of North Carolina Injury Prevention Research Center.  Dr. Rauscher’s main research interest is occupational health and safety policy and the prevention of occupational injuries, with an emphasis on adolescent workers.  Some of her more notable research includes a national study of child labor violations in the US retail and service industries published in the American Journal of Public Health,  the first study of workplace violence experienced by adolescent workers, and the first study to document social disparities in occupational injuries among adolescent workers. Dr. Rauscher teaches graduate level courses in occupational injury prevention and serves as the MPH Program Director for the OEHS Department.