Facts about American Child Laborers

• Right now, about 18 percent of the workers in America are under the age of 18.
• Over 50% of the work myself and other children do involves hazardous and dangerous tasks.
• Many of us work in confined spaces and underground in unhealthy environments.
• We are exposed to extreme heat and cold.
• There are no government regulations for health and safety and no state safety regulations exist.
• There are some safety instructions on factory machines but as most workers were completely illiterate these were as good as useless.
• The causes of the most deaths were fires, explosions, cave-ins and train wrecks.
• The main causes of injuries are the factory machines and sharp tools. My friends have lost fingers, and their hands have been mangled and some are scalped when their hair gets caught in the machinery.
• Some children are killed because they fall asleep and fall into factory machines.
• Carrying heavy loads causes lifelong deformities and handicaps.
• Us children not only suffer from physical stress we also are subjected to mental stress due to appalling working conditions we are put in.
• The health of children suffer because of working in back-breaking jobs in dark, gloomy environments with poor ventilation. We suffered from lung, ear and eye infections and unsanitary conditions lead to terrible diseases and illnesses such as cholera, bronchitis and tuberculosis