Young Worker Safety Policy
INTRODUCTION
[Insert company name] (“the Company”) believes that hiring young people is a way to give young workers valuable experience and accomplish important operational objectives. And although the Company has implemented a safety and health policy to protect all workers, we also recognize that young people may be more vulnerable to injury due to their youth and inexperience.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this Policy is to protect young workers who work at the Company worksites and ensure compliance with requirements under OHS, employment standards and other applicable laws.
DEFINITIONS
For purposes of this Policy, “young worker” means a person who is age of 25 or younger.
RIGHTS OF YOUNG WORKERS
Like all other Company workers, young workers have the right to:
- Work in a safe place.
- Refuse to perform unsafe work.
- Receive health and safety training in a language and vocabulary that they understand.
- Ask questions if they don’t understand instructions or if something seems unsafe.
- Use and be trained on the use of required PPE, such as hard hats, goggles and ear plugs.
- Exercise their workplace safety rights without retaliation or discrimination.
ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Department Heads and Other Managers: All department heads and other managers should assess the risk to the health and safety of young workers before they start work. When risks are identified, records should be made of the level of risk and the methods of eliminating and controlling that risk. In conducting the risk assessment, department heads and managers should consider the factors set out in the Company’s OHS program.
Supervisors: All supervisors must ensure that the young workers they supervise receive appropriate notification of the hazards they face on the job, as well as the training, information, instruction, supervision, PPE and equipment necessary to deal with those hazards. Supervisors must be sensitive to the special vulnerability of young workers and provide whatever additional attention or measures are necessary to protect them.
Co-Workers: All workers who work with young workers must be sensitive to their special vulnerability and provide whatever additional attention or measures are necessary to protect them. Co-workers appointed to serve as buddies or mentors must exercise the extra vigilance and duties associated with those responsibilities.
Young Workers: All Company workers, including young workers, are required to take reasonable care for the health and safety of themselves and anyone else who may be affected by their acts or omissions and cooperate as much as necessary with the Company and others, including by following the instructions of their supervisors and following all Company safety procedures and policies.
PROCEDURES
Risk Assessment
In conducting a risk assessment relating to young workers, managers must:
- Assess the risks to young workers before they start work, taking into account their inexperience, lack of awareness of potential risks and their immaturity.
- Provide information to parents of school-age children about the risks and the control measures introduced.
- Take account of the risk assessment findings in deciding whether young workers should be prohibited from doing certain work.
Incident Reporting
As part of their safety orientation, young workers must be advised of their duty to report any incident/near miss in which they are involved or witness directly to their supervisor.
Training & Supervision
All young workers must receive—and not be allowed to start performing their job tasks until they receive—safety training in a language and vocabulary they can understand that addresses, at a minimum:
- Fire prevention;
- Accidents;
- Dealing with violent situations;
- Use of the work equipment; and
- What to do if they get injured or ill, such as the location of first aid kits, calling for help and emergency procedures.
While delivering safety training and orientation, trainers should encourage young workers to ask questions about tasks or procedures that are unclear or not understood and if they’re not equipped to answer those questions, direct the young workers to the person(s) who can provide answers.
Mentor Program
The Company will implement a Mentor Program for new young workers in which an experienced worker will be assigned to look after the young worker, answer his/her questions and help him/her learn the ropes of the job.
MONITORING AND REVIEW
Managers should regularly monitor the procedure for reducing risk and providing safety training and supervision to young workers to ensure that they’re still suitable and sufficient. The work hours and rest breaks for young workers should be monitored by the manager/supervisor on an ongoing basis. This Policy must be reviewed annually and updated if necessary.
OTHER RESOURCES:
Implement a Safety Mentor Program to Protect Vulnerable Workers