Since 2003 and at the initiative of the International Labor Organization, the World Day for Safety and Health at Work is celebrated every April 28. The purpose of this date is to raise international awareness about the magnitude and severity of accidents, injuries and illnesses that can occur due to the nature or condition of the activities contemplated at work and that put decent work at risk. This year 2017 the awareness theme is "Optimize the compilation and use of data on Safety and Health at Work (OSH)".

In this regard, it is important to highlight that if countries and companies improve their systems for registering and notifying workers and accidents, they make use of reliable data to measure the frequency of occupational injuries and increase their capacity to collect information; it will be possible to create safer workspaces for protected adolescent work and prevent child labor.

Some industries are by their nature or condition more dangerous than others; in the case of child labor, both variables pose a problem. In Latin America, 9.6 million boys and girls are doing dangerous work in sectors such as agriculture, mining, manufacturing, construction, and domestic service, among others. Unlike adults, children and adolescents are much more vulnerable to these environments.

The Meta 8.8 Agenda 2030 highlights the need to protect labor rights and promote a work environment safe and secure for all workers, this includes and adolescents who meet the minimum age for admission to employment and those already They are inserted in the world of work.

Protected adolescent work is defined by each country according to its legislation and under criteria that it considers pertinent; Thus, in Latin America and the Caribbean, an adolescent between the ages of 14 and 16 can receive a legal work authorization, as long as certain health and safety requirements are also met and the activities are not considered within the list of hazardous child labor .

Therefore, if we improve and reinforce the labor inspection processes in the field of health and safety at work, we will help reduce the cases of dangerous adolescent work and we will also be able to achieve Goal 8.7 on ending child labor. 

Generating a culture of prevention in safety and health at work through the development of policies and programs at the national, international and business levels, which also include a preventive approach to child labor, will collaborate with the reduction of the number of deaths and accidents. of all workers, and to improve the quality of life of people in the work environment, thus promoting decent work in the world.