As young people start entering the workplace over the summer, safety professionals will have to address the safety issues that impact this part of the workforce. To make this job easier, the OHS Insider recently launched the New & Young Worker Compliance Centre, which addresses issues such as:

• Safety orientations for all new workers, including the young ones
• Limits on the industries and jobs young workers can do and the hours they can work
• Safety training that’s geared to young people.

But education on workplace safety should start at home. Parents need to instill in their kids how important it is that they follow safe work procedures and speak up when faced with a hazard or unsafe work.

To help prepare your children for their first jobs, here’s an article on 10 things all young workers should know from our partner site, Safety Smart, which provides safety professionals with tools to help them reinforce learning and manage their safety programs, such as safety talks, quizzes, cost-of-injury worksheets and injury tracking forms.

And to help parents understand their role in ensuring that their children are safe on the job, the Ontario Ministry of Labour released a handout for parents on parenting young workers. The handout includes some questions that parents should ask their kids about their health and safety at work:

• What do you normally do at work’
• Do you climb or work at heights’
• Do you lift and carry heavy objects’
• Has your employer provided workplace safety orientation training and information’
• Do you know what protective equipment to wear and how to use it’
• Do you work with chemicals’ Have you been trained in their proper use’
• Are you tired at work’
• Does your supervisor work near you’
• Does your supervisor provide on-the-job safety feedback’
• Do you feel you can report safety concerns to your supervisor’
• Do you know how to report workplace injuries’
• Do you know about your rights and obligations under the OHS law’