Paper short abstract:

I examine the relationship between exposure to work hazards and school outcomes for young people(7-17 years old) in South Africa. Using national data results show that young people are mostly exposed to work at night and heavy loads. Also these young people are less likely to attend school.

Paper long abstract:

Children and youth who engage in labour activities are at risk of injury and health hazards. In addition to resulting in sickness and possibly mortality, injury and health outcomes also compromise school attainment. For children and youth who are sick or injured, prolonged absence, compromised ability to complete school work and even dropout are known to occur. However, what remain unknown is the exact health and injury hazards young people who work face and how these hazards impact on different schooling outcomes. This paper examines the 2015 Survey of Activities of Young People in South Africa and found that young people (7-17 years old) are mostly exposed to severe hazards (67%) which include working with heavy loads, night work and exposure to the use of dangerous tools. Furthermore, young people exposed to severe hazards are more likely not to attend school (OR=0.25; CI: 0.24- 0.27) than those exposed to minor hazards (noise, fumes and dust). With these preliminary results in mind, social services in South Africa needs to do more to ensure that young people are not engaging in hazardous work and are kept in school.