Too many young people are getting hurt at work.

Across Europe, 18 to 24 years olds are at least 50% more likely to have a non-fatal accident in the workplace than those in other age groups.

It’s not just accidents that pose a greater risk to young people - they are also susceptible to more slowly developing occupational health problems.

• a young person is anyone under eighteen years of age;
• a child is anyone who is not over compulsory school age. He or she has not reached the official age at which they may leave school. This is generally referred to as the minimum school leaving age (MSLA).

Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 employers have a general duty to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety at work of all employees, and any other people who may be adversely affected by the employers work activities or workplace.

Regulation 19 of The Management of Health and Safety at work Regulations 1999 require employers to:

• assess risks to all young people 18 years of age, before they start work;
• ensure the risk assessment takes into account their psychological or physical immaturity, inexperience and lack of awareness of risks
• introduce control measures to eliminate or minimise the risks, so far as is reasonably practicable

Risk Assessments For Young People

Provided you have carried out your risk assessments as already required under legislation e.g. Coshh, Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations etc, you can use those assessments to assess the risks to young persons provided that the assessments take into account:-

• their immaturity, inexperience and lack of awareness of risk
• the nature and layout of the work area
• types of equipment, method of use and work activities to be undertaken
• the nature, degree and duration of exposure to physical and chemical agents
• the health and safety training that will be provided
• certain other agents and processes (lead, asbestos, radiation, vibration, explosives and machinery)

The assessment should be done BEFORE the young person commences employment or if they are already employed then immediately.

The findings of the assessment should be relayed to the young person along with the control measures in place to protect them.

Should you employ young people under the school leaving age (usually 16 years of age) including those on work experience, then you are required to inform their parents/guardian of the key findings of the assessments and the control measures.

Again this information should be passed on BEFORE employment or work experience starts. If you think that the young person is responsible enough then you can relay the information through them, at the moment there is no requirement to inform in writing.

As with all assessments they should be regularly reviewed especially if the nature of the work changes.

A young person should not be expected to do any of the following:-

• work beyond their physical or psychological capabilities
• work involving harmful exposure to radiation
• work involving risks to health from noise, vibration or extreme heat/cold
• work involving harmful exposure to any agents which can chronically affect health, including those with toxic or carcinogenic effects or capable of genetic damage to unborn children

The employer must ensure that all young people starting work are given general instruction in health and safety matters in an induction session that is geared to new employees who may not have worked in industry since leaving school. In many cases employers provide increased levels of supervision and support to young persons during the early stages of employment until they are satisfied that they appreciate the risks they are likely to encounter in the workplace.

Under the working time directive, young people:

• may not work between the hours of 10:00pm and 6:00am unless they have had a health assessment prior to commencing such work and regularly thereafter
• are entitled to a daily rest period of 12 consecutive hours in any 24hour period
• are entitled to an un-interrupted weekly rest period of 2 days (consecutive days where possible) in every 7 day period - this may be interrupted by justifiable short periods of work, although the rest period must not be shortened to less than 36 hours
• working for more than 4.5 hours are entitled to a 30 minute daily rest break which should be taken consecutively where possible
• four weeks paid leave per year after a qualifying period of three months employment