Keeping young workers safe

Young employees are a valuable resource for any organisation, but at the same time, they experience some specific risks and problems during the working process. Find out how you can safeguard and help young employees.

Young employees, typically aged between 15 and 24 years, bring a wealth of fresh ideas, dynamism, and diversity to any organisation. However, they may be more susceptible to workplace incidents and accidents due to their lack of experience, inadequate training, and unclear understanding of their rights and responsibilities as employees.

As an employer, it’s crucial to ensure the well-being of your staff by providing a safe and healthy work environment. This not only safeguards your young employees but also fosters a confident, energised, and happy workforce.

Safeguarding your young workers

Here are some strategies to enhance safety for young workers in your workplace:

induction and training

Provide induction and training

Young employees should be given comprehensive orientation and training before they start their jobs. This should cover their responsibilities, potential risks, safety policies, procedures, and resources for work health and safety matters.

Also, the design and delivery of the induction and training programme should be personalised, simple to understand, motivational, and hands-on. Additionally, these programmes should be regularly updated to reflect current working conditions.

supervision and feedback

Offer supervision and feedback

Create a culture that allows young employees to get the necessary supervision and performance feedback from their respective workplace leaders like managers, supervisors or mentors.

This enables them to learn from their mistakes, perform better, understand their own shortcomings and weaknesses, and get credits and lauds, which can help make them feel cherished and supported. The guidance and feedback should be well-planned, effective, comprehensible, encouraging, and adaptable.

support and consultation

Facilitate support and consultation

Your organisation should inspire an environment of understanding, cooperation, and respect, as it develops avenues for younger employees to meet and work with others.

Assure your young employees that they can depend on their senior colleagues, peers, and others. This helps them build supporting relationships, take part in decision-making processes, express themselves and continually improve with resources and services that support their overall well-being and career development.

incentives and recognition

Give incentives and recognition

Promote young worker safety by rewarding their safe and healthy behaviour with incentives and recognition. This can motivate them to prioritise safety and feel valued by the organisation. The rewards can be monetary, material, or social.

For example, you can give bonuses and vouchers for completing safety training, reporting hazards, or achieving safety goals. Provide certificates, badges, or other forms of recognition for demonstrating safety skills, knowledge, or leadership.

What Our Community Says About Us

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Research from NSW indicates that 15- to 25-year-olds have a 75 per cent greater chance of being injured at work

SAFEWORK NSW 2017

Slide

Research from NSW indicates that 15- to 25-year-olds have a 75 per cent greater chance of being injured at work

SAFEWORK NSW 2017

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Create a safe work environment for young, impressionable workers

At Youthsafe, we are dedicated to assisting employers in improving young worker safety. We offer comprehensive workshops, webinars, guides, and tools that will assist you in understanding and resolving the unique challenges that young employees are facing in these times.

Reach out to our team today to learn more.

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FAQs

What should young employees do if they get injured or ill at work?

If young employees get injured or ill during, they should:

  • Stop working and move to a safe place
  • Seek first aid or medical attention if needed
  • Report the injury or illness to their employer as soon as possible
  • Fill out an incident report form and keep a copy
  • Claim workers’ compensation if eligible

What are some common mistakes employers make regarding young employee safety?

Common mistakes include assuming young employees have prior knowledge of safety practices, providing inadequate training, insufficient supervision, not fostering an open communication culture, and failing to tailor safety messages to young employees' understanding and experience level.

What measures can employers take to prevent bullying and harassment of young employees?

Employers should implement strict anti-bullying policies, provide training on respectful workplace behaviours, and establish clear reporting and resolution procedures for bullying and harassment.

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