Why young people

Safe Start is dedicated to the occupational safety and health (OSH) of young people. Young workers have a higher accident rate than older workers for a number of reasons including their lack of training, experience and awareness of OSH; their immaturity, both physically and mentally; and, the types of jobs and employment situations in which they are placed.

This has implications for young workers themselves, for their employers and supervisors as well as for policy makers. It has implications for those involved in OSH, those involved in education, and those involved in policy making in these areas. 

• There are 75 million young people in the EU 25 Member States. They need preparing for the health and safety aspects of their work before they start work - risk awareness education at school as well as vocational training. At work they need safe and healthy jobs, training and supervision.
  
• The need for concern is reflected in EU statistics. Eurostat report that working experience increases with age and risk behaviour in general is influenced by age and that this is reflected in the rate of accidents at work. 
  
• According to European statistics, the incidence rate of non-fatal accidents at work is at least 50% higher among those aged 18-24 years than in any other age category.
  
• The incidence rate for non-fatal accidents has also increased among the youngest workers.
  
• Many work-related ill health problems are cumulative in nature. They may not show at a high rate in young workers but it is equally important to pay attention to cumulative health risks as well as accident risks, to reduce the possibility of young workers developing a work-related health problem later in life.
  
• Young people may be more susceptible if exposed to health hazards than older workers. In addition, they may be subject to harassment and bullying from colleagues because of their low status or because they are new.
  
• The designers, managers and workers of tomorrow need a good grounding in the health and safety aspects of their future careers.
  

What poor health and safety means in practice for young workers

A 16-year old worker’s legs were broken, less than two hours into his first day at work, when he fell from the footplate of an 18-ton refuse lorry and he was dragged under the lorry. He was riding on the outside of the vehicle because there was not enough room in the cab for him and the three other workers. All were agency-supplied workers. Safety procedures existed but the system to ensure that they were used was inadequate. Lack of supervision and training were a particular problem.
Source: Health and Safety Practitioner, November 2004, UK

A 17 year old girl lost part of her finger after only one hour in her Easter holiday job. Part of the third finger on her left hand was amputated after her fingers were crushed in a machine at the bakery where she worked.
Source: http://www.youngworker.co.uk/weoc/c_finger.html

An 18 year old apprentice mechanic died four days after becoming engulfed in flames in an explosion. He was helping his manager empty a mixture of petrol and diesel from a dustbin into a waste disposal tank on the garage forecourt when the petrol exploded. He was learning his trade and was heavily reliant on the duty of care owed to him by his manager and the garage owner. The company’s attitude was that health and safety was common sense, left to the experience of employees.
Source: http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2005/e05020.htm
 

EU policy context

• The European Youth Pact was adopted at the Spring 2005 summit of the Council of Europe as part of its ‘revitalising the Lisbon Strategy initiative’. The creation of quality jobs to promote employment is a key part of the strategy. Good health and safety is also part of the agenda for creating quality jobs for young people. Pre-work health and safety education and training are part of preparing young people for work; OSH should also be part of the life-long learning agenda. 
  
• Community strategy on health and safety at work 2002-2006 stresses the need for ‘awareness raising and education from an early stage’ and that education and the prevention culture are the key factors for maintaining and improving quality of work.
  
• Commission communication on the practical implementation of the EU Safety and Health Framework Directive and first 5 ‘daughter’ Directives found that high-risk workers were also found amongst the young, those on temporary contracts and those with low qualifications. It concludes that this evidence clearly underlines the scope and importance of the priority attached to quality in work as a policy vehicle for implementing the EU's social policy agenda.
  
• Mainstreaming OSH into other policy areas is one of the objectives of the Community strategy on health and safety at work 2002-2006. This includes mainstreaming into activities on youth employment, and workplace training and development; and into education in schools, colleges and vocational training.
  
• European initiative to promote good health for young people and children will be launched by the Commission in 2006.
  

The young person factor
Young people are less likely to recognise the risk of accidents or ill health than older workers for a number of reasons. If they do recognise the risks they may be less able to take appropriate action, and physically or mentally less able to carry out certain tasks or work.

Factors include: 

• Lack of awareness of OSH risks
• Inexperience and unfamiliarity with the job they are doing, and their surroundings
• Lack of skill/training in the job they are doing
• Physically or mentally immature
• Being given jobs that are beyond their capabilities
• Lack of OSH information/training
• Lack of awareness of employers duties, and their own rights and responsibilities
• Not paying enough attention to health and safety, and high risk-taking behaviour among some young people
• Lack of confidence to raise OSH issues
  

The employer factor

• Lack of awareness that young people have less experience, skill and training about OSH and about the job they are doing
• Giving young workers jobs beyond their capabilities
• Not providing adequate information, instruction and training 
• Not providing adequate supervision on the job - young people are likely to need more supervision than older workers
• Not taking account of young workers during risk assessment
• Recruiters not knowing how to gauge the suitability of a job for young persons

Structural employment factors
There are various features in the employment circumstances of some young people that are related to poorer OSH, for example:

• Temporary contracts
• Part-time work
• Low-paid work where no or limited training is provided
• Jobs where there is a high staff turnover rate
• Unskilled work
• Low/precarious status – so in a weak position to complain of problems
• Lower rate of trade union membership
• Work in SMEs and some sectors where there is a poorer safety culture 
• Vulnerable to harassment and bullying from colleagues because of their low status or because they are new.
  

Legislation
Council Directive 89/391 of 12 June 1989 on the introduction of measures to encourage improvements in the safety and health of workers at work puts general obligations on employers to assess risks, bring in protective measures and provide information and training. Risk assessments should also identify groups of workers that are particularly at risk, such as young workers. Young workers are required to cooperate with their employer’s health and safety arrangements and make correct use of anything provided in the interests of health and safety.

Under 18s
Council Directive 94/33/EC of 22 June 1994 on the protection of young people at work applies to workers under the age of 18. The Directive includes provisions relating to:

• Employers’ general obligations, such as protection of the health and safety of young people, assessment of the risks to young people associated with their work, assessment and monitoring of the health of young people, information for young people and children's legal representatives on the possible risks to their health and safety
• Types of employment that must not be carried out by young people, such as work which exceeds the mental or physical capacities of young people, work involving harmful exposure to dangerous substances. 
• Working hours, night working, rest periods, annual leave and rest breaks.
  

In many cases, the physiological risks to adults and young persons are the same. However, there are some areas where young workers may require greater protection than mature adults because of physiological differences, for example:

1. Work where pace is determined by machinery (muscle strength is not fully developed).

2. Work in high-pressure atmospheres (bones not fully developed and may be at greater risk of long term harm).

3. Ionising radiation (slightly greater risk of developing cancer and hereditary effects).

4. Whole body vibration (greater risk of spinal damage as bones not fully matured and muscle strength not fully developed) and noise.

5. Exposure to dangerous substances – young people are often more susceptible to health damage from exposure to dangerous substances, although the effects may not appear until later in life.

Particular physiological factors, which should be considered in relation to the immaturity of young persons, include:

1. Availability of personal protective equipment (PPE) that is suitable for young persons.

2. Stature strength and reach of young persons in relation to their ability to operate controls (especially in relation to operation of machinery such as power tools).

(Body dimensions of young persons in relation to safe distances used to prevent access to danger zones.)