Big Sky Times

Montana's largest worker’s compensation insurance company has debuted a new campaign geared toward ensuring the safety of young workers in the state.

KTVQ reports Montana State Fund’s “Naked Without It” campaign uses humor to highlight the danger of working without following proper safety precautions.

“We're drawing attention to the fact that you’d never go out in public without anything on,” Montana State Fund President and CEO Holly O’Dell told KTVQ. “You know, you'd expose yourself to the elements. You'd have all sorts of exposure. But yet, on the safety side, you know, we don't cover up our eyes like we should and have eye protection. We don't cover our ears like we need to and have ear protection. We're exposing ourselves on the safety side, and so this campaign’s drawing attention in a fun way.”

O’Dell expressed that she hopes the campaign will reduce work-related injuries. 

“This campaign is designed to increase awareness so that we can drive down injuries in Montana, and that's the number one part of our mission and what we do,” O’Dell said, according to KTVQ.

In 2019, Montanans were more likely to experience nonfatal injuries and illnesses when compared to the national average, according to the Montana Department of Labor and Industry. Young workers between the ages of 15 and 24 are more likely to experience workplace injury compared to other age brackets, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They also point out that workers 18 to 19 years old had the highest injury rate.