New to the job and the workplace, you lack experience of the job and of the health and safety risks that can be present. You have the right to safe and healthy work, including the necessary training and supervision and the right to ask questions and report things that look unsafe to you. If you are under 18 years old the law bans you from doing certain hazardous jobs because of your inexperience and possible immaturity. This factsheet covers hazards in the workplace. A separate factsheet provides more advice on your rights and responsibilities.
Young workers (15–24 years) are a very vulnerable group when it comes to occupational safety and health (OSH). However, the majority of OSH risks are preventable — whether they involve young or older workers — by applying the principles of risk assessment and putting in place the necessary preventive measures. To support information exchange on best practice, the agency has produced a report about how the occupational safety and health of young workers can be managed at policy and practice level. The report includes a variety of case studies and also identifies some success factors for prevention.
To underpin occupational safety and health (OSH) education in schools and colleges it is necessary to formalise it in curriculum requirements. This report reviews how the Member States are including OSH and risk education in their national curricula. The report shows that there is considerable progress and activity in this respect at both primary and secondary education levels in terms of both implemented and planned actions in the Member States. The report also identifies some success factors for mainstreaming OSH into education curricula.
Young people are more at risk of harm from work for a variety of
reasons. They lack experience and maturity, awareness of risks,
and skills and training; they may be unaware of their rights and
employers’ duties regarding health and safety; and they may be
reluctant to speak out about problems and keen to please their
new employer. They therefore need to be placed in safe and
suitable jobs that are matched to their skills and mental and
physical abilities and given adequate training and supervision.