Keeping Young Workers Safe in Your Workplace
Young workers, usually aged between 15 to 24 years old, have been identified as one of four groups most at risk of getting injured in the workplace1.
Research have shown that an alarming 20% of all workplace injuries are sustained by young Australian construction workers below the age of 252. Concerningly in NSW alone, more than 15,000 young people in NSW are injured at work each year3.
Young workers can also experience very serious and fatal accidents when working in high risks industries. Agriculture and Construction were found to have the highest incidence of fatal accidents among young workers4. Workers compensation claims statistics1 show that Construction (17%), Manufacturing (16%) and Accommodation and Food Services (15%) are the highest risk industries for young workers, with the highest percentage of claims compared to other industries.
Young workers have been identified as one group who is most at risk of getting injured in the workplace, with construction and agriculture having the highest incidence of fatality.
How to keep young workers safe
If you are an employer it is your responsibility under Work Health and Safety (WHS) laws to provide the necessary information, training and supervision to all your workers so that they can perform their work safely. If you have young workers, be aware that they may have no or limited work experience, and may need more support, training and supervision.
Be aware that young workers may need more support, training and supervision.
Ensure young workers are properly inducted into your workplace. Have specific written induction information to give them, which should include an explanation of their WHS rights and responsibilities, as well as any site specific hazards and risks they may come across.
All workplaces should have a WHS Management System which includes:
- WHS Manual – the overarching framework for the system describing the processes by which each safety issue will be managed.
- Induction – A document to allow employees, contractors and visitors to learn relevant health and safety information as well as hazards and risks specific to your workplace.
- Policies – High level guiding commitments and principles that your organisation operates by.
- Procedures or Safe Work Instructions – Specific instructions relating to particular tasks, equipment or substances.
- Registers – Such as training registers to monitor and ensure all workers have been inducted and appropriately trained
- Forms – Such as workplace inspection forms and hazard identification checklists.
- Consultation and meetings module – To record and capture all consultation about health and safety matters.
- Incident recording and investigations – Including guidelines and planning for incident response. This ensures all incidents (including near misses) are captured. Furthermore set up procedures to ensure incidents are fully investigated and corrective actions taken as required.
All workplaces should have a Work Health and Safety Management System in place to ensure workers are properly inducted and trained.
When training young workers in their work, do not have any assumption of prior skill or knowledge. Young workers may be reluctant to admit their lack of experience, and every worker has different skills, training and ability. It is important that employers use the following approach5:
- Tell them: Provide a clear and detailed explanation of the tasks, ideally written as well as spoken.
- Show them: Demonstrate the task whilst the young worker watches, making sure critical elements are shown and explained clearly. Always check for understanding by asking questions throughout.
- Watch them: Actively supervise the young worker and provide clear and instructive feedback to ensure they are performing their task safely and correctly.
Consider the individual skills, abilities and experience of young workers
Young workers may look like adults, but the parts of the brain for assessing risk and controlling impulse are still developing. Certain tasks may be beyond their ability to cope both physically and emotionally. Continual active supervision for young workers is important, especially when unexpected stressful situation comes up, which they may not be able to handle.
Young workers may look like adults, but still have developing brains. Certain task may be beyond their ability to cope physically or emotionally.
Model a positive workplace culture
Young workers often cannot perceive when a situation has become risky, and can be reluctant to ask questions or raise concerns about their safety. They are also vulnerable to peer pressure and will model the behaviour of their co-workers, whether right or wrong5. Therefore it is important that the senior management in your organisation, and the work team around the young worker model a positive workplace culture focused on a strong safety performance.
Young workers are more vulnerable to hazards because they are inexperienced and less likely to ask questions or raise concerns about their safety.
If you’re a young worker, make sure you know your workplace health and safety rights and obligations
By law, your employer must equip you with the right skills, training and equipment to keep you safe in the workplace. The basic rights for all workers in Australia include:
- The right to be shown how to work safely
- The right to appropriate safety equipment, including Personal Protective Equipment
- The right to be consulted about safety in the workplace
- The right to speak up about work conditions and say no to unsafe work.
Young workers have the right to be shown how to work safely.
However you also have responsibilities to:
- Take reasonable care for your own health and safety
- To comply with any reasonable instruction that is given by your employer regarding health and safety.
It is important that you stop and ask questions if you are unsure about how to perform a task at work. It doesn’t hurt to ask, but you might have more to lose if you don’t ask for help and get injured later on.
Have a good relationship with young workers in your team
Employers and supervisors should get to know and speak to young workers in their team regularly. Having a good relationship means you will know what their normal behaviour is and can identify when things have changed. Encourage your team to spend time together in a fun relaxed setting to get to know young workers, for example by spending time together during breaks, sharing an experience with them or having a barbeque.
Spending time together during breaks and sharing an experience allows bonding to happen organically.
Ensure your workplace discourage excessive alcohol use by organising bonding activities that do not focus on alcohol. Alcohol and other drugs may increase anxiety and stress and contribute to feelings of depression.
If you are concerned about the wellbeing of a young worker in your team, approach them and offer support. Respect them if they do not want to talk to you and encourage them to seek support elsewhere. Have a list of contacts for a range of help and support services posted prominently in your workplace.
Jokes and larrikinism can often be deeply embedded in the Australian culture and workplace. Light hearted banter can make work more fun, lift morale, ease stress during difficult times, and can also help build connection and trust among team members. However, be very sensitive when using humour around young workers to ensure that they are not hurt in the process. Research have shown that “even when no harm is intended, mildly aggressive humour (including teasing) can produce negative mental health impacts”6.
Invest in team building activities to make young workers fit in
Businesses should consider investing in team building activities to help build connections between young workers and other members of their team. Effective team building encourages communication, increased collaboration, builds trust, helps to mitigate conflict between team members and ultimately should lead to better teamwork and working practices.
Simply talking about the importance of teamwork is insufficient in creating meaningful bonds. Instead, lasting bonds can be derived by having team members engage in activities that require them to actively learn about and practice teamwork.
Team building activities away from the usual place of work can help your team see each other in a different light, to allow them to connect in new ways different to their usual workplace arrangement. Good examples are sports or paintball, which are comparatively lower in costs and involve minimal planning.
Sport is an excellent team building activity to encourage young workers to feel part of the team.
Empowering young workers for the future
Employers cannot always control the conditions in their workplace, and unexpected hazards or risks may come up to surprise us. However, employers can focus on instilling in their young workers the skills, knowledge, and values that will empower them to successfully navigate workplace hazards and challenges, and keep them safe for the future.
“We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
Reference
- SafeWork NSW, Young workers plan 2019-20 – SafeWork NSW at Risk Worker’s Strategy 2018-2022, NSW Government, accessed 8th August 2024.
- Safe Work Australia, March 2013, Work-Related Injuries Experienced by Young Workers in Australia, 2009-10, Safe Work Australia.
- SafeWork NSW, 2024, For Young Workers, NSW Government, accessed 13th August 2024.
- RMIT University, August 2019, Young and Older Construction Workers’ Work Health and Safety, RMIT University, accessed 13th August 2024.
- WorkSafe QLD, 2024, Young Workers, The State of Queensland, accessed 13th August 2024.
- RMIT University, 2024, Conversations about Life, Health and Safety: Social Supports for Young Construction Worker’s Health and Safety, RMIT University, accessed 9th August 2024.
