Recent changes to British Columbia's Occupational Health & Safety Regulation should have a positive effect on young and new workers entering the workforce. WorkSafeBC is promoting these changes as a means to specifically address the extraordinarily high injury rates among these employees.
The injury rate of young workers is more than twice that of the overall worker population — and is on the rise. New workers, regardless of their age, suffer five to seven times the risk of sustaining a workplace injury in their first month on the job. Contrary to the overall workplace trend, injuries to young workers were up 31 per cent between 2001 and 2005.
A profile of young workers in BC
There are more than 360,000 (including approximately 45,000 in the tourism and hospitality industry) young workers in BC who, like all workers, have a right to a safe and healthy workplace. Young workers, particularly male young workers, are at a much higher risk of injury than other workers. Historically, the injury rate for young males is approximately 60 per cent higher than the injury rate for all BC workers.
Without job knowledge and experience, it is far more difficult for the younger worker to recognize potentially risky situations and equipment. Eager to please and unwilling to make waves, young workers may be hesitant to question the safety of work procedures or to ask for proper safety training and guidelines. Many feel pressured to complete a job quickly and can be swayed by peer pressure, regardless of the risk involved. And without a thorough understanding of their rights or responsibilities as employees, young workers may be reluctant to ask questions or refuse to perform an unsafe work practice.
The most dangerous tasks for young workers:
- Lifting objects, for retail clerks, shipper-receivers, labourers and material handlers in a number of industries
- Working on ladders, stairs, scaffolding, and other raised areas in any industry
- Driving or riding in vehicles, and operating or working near mobile equipment in any industry
- Using knives in food service, retail sales and supermarkets
- Working with hot substances or equipment in restaurants
- Operating food slicers in restaurants and supermarkets, by deli sales clerks, cooks, food service helpers/preparers, and retail sales clerks
- Working near running equipment or machinery
Statistics show that more than half of all work-related incidents occur during a young worker's first six months on the job. In 2005, 11 young workers died on the job, 151 were seriously injured, and more than 9,000 others were injured. In 2007, 11,379 young workers were injured in workplace accidents, a statistic that indicates a sharp upward trend.
As a result — as of July 26, 2007 — every employer hiring new or young workers must comply with the new Regulation relating to orientation and training. All employers are required to ensure that young or new workers are given health and safety orientation and training, specific to their workplace, before they begin work.
In this section
What you will learn here will help you understand your obligations as an employer, in order to safeguard the rights and safety issues facing young and new workers.
- Program Benefits: The benefits of an effective health-and-safety program for young and new workers
- Regulations: The specific Regulation as defined by WorkSafeBC
- Young and New Worker Resources: Tools and guides, including videos, that will help you implement policies and training procedures
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WorkSafeBC: Young Worker Information
The section of WorkSafeBC's website pertaining to young and new workers is dedicated exclusively to injury prevention among this sector of the workforce. It includes a broad range of information for youth, parents, educators, employers and other stakeholders. |
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WorkSafeBC: Raise Your Hand
The Raise Your Hand movement empowers all young workers in B.C. to use their rights that will keep them safe on the job. This is an interactive site that provides information and encourages participation. |
