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Young workers need more training, orientation, and supervision
Young worker safety resources
- Backgrounder (PDF 40kb)
- Construction fact sheet (PDF 300kb)
- Forestry fact sheet (PDF 214kb)
- Hospitality fact sheet (PDF 300kb)
- Manufacturing fact sheet (PDF 214kb)
- Retail fact sheet (PDF 214kb)
- B.C. regional notice of incidents involving young workers (PDF 63kb)
- Young worker claim hierarchy tree - GVRD (PDF 39kb)
- Young worker provincial overview 2004 (PDF 82kb)
- Josh Dueck profile (PDF 45kb)
- Loren and Tracy profile (PDF 37kb)
- DaimlerChrysler profile (PDF 18kb)
- Playland profile (PDF 55kb)
- Preventing violence, robbery, and theft (PDF 1mb)
- Violence in the workplace
Richmond, B.C., April 19, 2006 — WorkSafeBC has joined with more than twenty employer partners across the province to raise public awareness that young workers need specific training, orientation, and supervision. Today's breakfast at the Inn at the Quay in New Westminster marks the beginning of a province-wide initiative where eight B.C. communities will focus on young worker safety.
In 2005, 11 young B.C. workers died on the job, 151 were seriously injured and more than another 9,000 were injured.
At this time of year, thousands of young workers aged 15-24 will enter a new workplace or start a job for the first time — and some of them will be seriously injured or permanently disabled.
As a community, we all have a part to play in the safety of young workers," said Diana Miles, WorkSafeBC Vice President of Worker and Employers Services, today to an audience of employers, industry and labour representatives, workers and community leaders. New and young workers deserve our attention and we all should feel a sense of responsibility for their safety — particularly when they are in very vulnerable situations such as working alone.
B.C.'s 310,000 young workers make up 14.9 percent of the provincial labour force and thousands are expected to be added by 2010. B.C.'s labour force is increasing at the rate of 3.4 percent annually; but the young worker component is growing by 8.3 percent annually.
While the injury rate for young workers is more than twice that of the overall population, there has been a 40 percent reduction since 1996. While the injury rate has decreased significantly, the number of serious injuries has been trending upward in the past five years — from 114 in 2001 to 151 in 2005. In 2005, one-third of those serious injuries (including amputations, serious fractures, and head or spine injuries) occurred in the manufacturing sector.
Jason Cook, Assistant Manager, PNE/Playland Ride Operations said, Each summer we employ almost 300 young people. Training them to work safely is important to us. They need to understand the hazards of working in an environment that has rides, concessions and many, many customers.
Pat Smith of 7 Eleven spoke of that company's program to reduce the danger to their workers who are alone during many evening and night shifts. 7 Eleven, London Drugs, and Sears have collectively allowed WorkSafeBC to use their working alone and violence mitigation programs to develop the manual Preventing Violence, Robbery, and Theft, that will assist small businesses develop and implement effective strategies.
A kit of young worker safety resources and the manual will be available to those attending the breakfast and will be available at www.worksafebc.com.
WorkSafeBC is an independent provincial statutory agency governed by a Board of Directors that serves nearly two million workers and about 179,000 employers. WorkSafeBC was born out of a compromise between B.C.'s workers and employers in 1917 where workers gave up the right to sue their employers and fellow workers for injuries on the job in return for a no-fault insurance program fully paid for by employers. The organization is committed to safe and healthy workplaces and to providing return-to-work rehabilitation and legislated compensation benefits.
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For more information please contact: |
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Gladys Johnsen
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