Sacramento Job Corps will mark National Safety Month with its safety fair on Wednesday, June 6, 2011. The third annual event, from 12:30 p.m.  to 3:15 p.m. at the Job Corps Center, 3100 Meadowview Road in Sacramento, will emphasize the safety habits young workers need to have on a job site. Students will learn and demonstrate how to guard against heat-related illnesses and to safely operate tools and machinery, among other safety tips.

“One of the things we preach is ‘safety first,'” said Job Corps business community liaison Brian Broadway. “We really want to emphasize that piece and increase awareness.” Along with workplace safety demonstrations by Job Corps students and staff, U.S. Department of Labor and city of Sacramento officials will also be on hand to discuss worker safety.

About 500 young people are enrolled at the Meadowview campus, preparing for work in the construction trades, landscaping and facilities maintenance among other jobs. Most are OSHA-certified, an important addition once the head into the work world, Broadway said.

Safety on the job is especially a concern for young workers and their employers. More than 139,000 workers age 14 to 24 were injured at work in 2008, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, the latest year information was available.

The Labor Department estimates about 146,000 young workers sustain work-related injuries and illnesses each year.” The biggest concern of any employer is loss of time on the job,” Broadway said. “We reassure employers that they have these (safety) skills and make sure the students have as much training as possible.