Young people and the work place

September is traditionally the time of year that many young people enter the working community for the first time in the wake of examination successes following their departure from schools and other forms of higher education. For any organisation considering employing a young person however, particularly if their business involves an element of lone working within it, they should carefully consider the potential consequences and more specifically, assess the risk to lone workers and for young workers who may not have the maturity or life experience that older people may have.
Young people, especially those new to the workplace, will encounter unfamiliar risks from the jobs they will be doing and from the working environment. Key risks for young people when starting work may arise because of their lack of experience or maturity and not having the confidence to ask for or knowing where they can get help. Also they may not have reached physical maturity and therefore lack the strength demanded, combined with the fact that they are often eager to impress or please people with whom they work and so make take shortcuts relating to their own personal safety.
Although all people are at increased risk of injury in the first six months of a new job as they may be unaware of existing or potential risks, young people will frequently be in this category and so employers must be aware of their responsibilities in this area. Lone working in particular can expose young people to certain situations which they may not have the experience, strength or maturity to cope with. Responsibilities of employers of young people therefore include :

• Assessing risks to all young people under 18 years of age before they start work including those on work experience or secondment.

• Ensuring the risk assessment takes into account their psychological or physical immaturity, inexperience, and lack of awareness of existing or potential risks.

• Introducing control measures to eliminate or minimise the risks, so far as is reasonably practicable.

• Helping young people to understand the importance of health and safety at work.

• Being aware of and understand the legislation relating to the employment of young people.

Risk Assessments

All risk assessments need to take account of certain features which apply to young people. Before employing a young person, an employer’s health and safety risk assessment must take into account:
 

• The fitting-out and layout of the workplace and the particular site where they will work;
• The nature of any physical, biological and chemical agents they will be exposed to, for how long and to what extent;
• What types of work equipment will be used and how this will be handled;
• How the work and processes involved are organised;
• The need to assess and provide health and safety training; and
• Risks from the particular agents, processes and work

There are also risks to young people associated with specific industries or processes such as agriculture, industrial machinery and mechanical lifting operations. There is no need however for employers to carry out a new risk assessment each time they employ a young person, as long as their current risk assessment takes account of the characteristics of young people and activities which present significant risks to their health and safety. In carrying out the risk assessment employers should identify the measures needed to take to control or eliminate health and safety risks. In many cases they will find that the risks to young people are adequately controlled if complying with other specific health and safety law, eg the Manual Handling Operations Regulations, or the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH). If in doubt employers should take professional advice on identifying and controlling the risks and  if a significant risk still they must not employ the young person to do this work.

Restrictions on the work of young people

The extent of the risks identified in the risk assessment will determine whether employers should restrict the work of the young people they employ. Except in special circumstances, young people should not be employed to do work which:

Is beyond their physical or psychological capacity;

Exposes them to substances chronically harmful to human health, eg toxic or carcinogenic substances, or effects likely to be passed on genetically or likely to harm the unborn child;

• Exposes them to radiation;
• Involves a risk of accidents which they are unlikely to recognise because of eg their lack of experience, training or attention to safety;
• Involves a risk to their health from extreme heat, noise or vibration.

Training and supervision

Young people need training most when they first start a job; they need it to increase their capabilities and competencies to a level where they can do the work without putting themselves and others at risk. It is not enough to make training available, employers should make sure that it is undertaken and also check that key messages have been understood. Young people will also need training and instruction on the hazards and risks present in the workplace, and on the preventive and control measures put in place to protect their health and safety. This training should include a basic introduction to health and safety, first aid, fire and evacuation procedures. As well as training, employers will need to bear in mind that young people are also very likely to need more supervision than adults. Effective supervision will also help to monitor the effectiveness of the training young people have received, and there will be clear benefits in assessing whether a young person has the necessary capacity and competence to do the job.

(Source – HSE)