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Campaign aims to make work safer for young people

This week's National Wiseup2work Day saw the TUC and the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) call for more to be done to protect young people when they are starting work, apprenticeships or work experience.

National Wiseup2work Day aims to highlight the huge number of deaths and injuries caused to young people when they start work due to inadequate training or poor induction. In the UK, an average of five people under the age of 19 die and 1,500 are badly injured at work every year.

Neil Budworth, president of IOSH, said: "Taking the first steps in their careers is an exciting and challenging time for our young people, but many have no experience of work or the hazards that lurk in the workplace. This naivety can result in accidents, injuries, and even death.

"The Wiseup2work campaign aims to make young people aware of the risks they face when starting work, and to get the Government, business leaders, teachers and youth workers to make young people's safety a priority."

To this end, IOSH has produced a six-point plan to be circulated at the forthcoming party conferences, and within Government. Brendan Barber, general secretary of the TUC, received one of the first copies. He said: "Young workers are not killed and injured at work because they goof around. All too often employers are failing to realise that young workers, who could even be in their first jobs, have not had the experience or training to recognise and manage health and safety risks at work."

Wiseup2work is an initiative by IOSH, sponsored by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and supported by the National Youth Agency and the British Chambers of Commerce. Wiseup2work provides a range of interactive online resources for teachers, youth workers, supervisors and employers to use to prepare young people for work.

Mark Haysom, chief executive of the Learning and Skills Council said: "Promoting young people's awareness of health and safety in the workplace is vital, and we are happy to be supporting this innovative resource that will help prepare teenagers for the world of work."

First Direct bank employs a diverse cross section of people including young people, and on occasion students on work experience. The bank also participates in Take your Sons and Daughters to Work Day every year.

Carol Basnett, health and safety advisor at First Direct, said: "Within the office and support service environment which are usually low risk, we identify young people who may be at risk when they first start work. Special considerations are evaluated and we carry out a young persons risk assessment to match the work activity/event, with all new starters receiving safety and fire induction. We also continually monitor accident trends and revise training and induction as necessary."

Further information about the campaign can be found on the website: www.wiseup2work.co.uk

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