Remember how carefully you looked after your children when they were small - making sure they were buckled into a car seat properly, that they wore their helmets when biking or roller-blading, that they got enough rest and ate properly, that they didn’t talk to strangers?
Those children currently have jobs, or will have shortly. Who’s making sure they’re safe now?
Most parents don’t realize they need to be concerned about health and safety in the workplace because they assume their children will be safe at work or that someone is looking out for them. Most teenagers are eager to get out into the work world and earn some money. They have a lot to offer, but realistically, they are new, inexperienced and anxious to please.
For this reason, they may be hesitant to ask questions on the job, and fear being looked upon as being "stupid". Start talking to your teens about job safety when they start looking for work. Encourage them to ask about safety procedures when they go to a job interview.
Tell them they should expect to get safety training when they start a new job and shouldn’t be afraid to walk away from a job if they feel they won’t be safe.
Remind them that no job or rate of pay is worth being injured for. Fingers, eyes and your life cannot be replaced. New jobs can always be found.
If your teenagers are already working, it’s important to find out as much as possible about the conditions in which they work.
Talk to them about their jobs - not just the pay and benefits, but about the actual tasks they take on. Use your built-in parent radar to detect potential risks and ask about how safety is handled on the job.
Help prevent workplace injuries. Let your teens know that you want them to say "no" to unsafe work and that you’ll support them in that decision. As the saying goes - better safe than sorry!
Many Parents assume their teen:
. . . works in a safe environment
You should know that every year in Ontario, more than 50,000 young workers age 24 and under report injuries received on the job. In a 3-year period, 39 young workers died as a result of workplace injuries.
Source: Workplace Safety and Insurance Board
. . . has received proper health and safety training from their employer
The only way for you to really know is to ask your child directly. 56% of young workers surveyed reported that they had not received any training before taking on a new task.
Source: Industrial Accident Prevention Association
. . . will tell them if they think their workplace is unsafe
Young workers are usually afraid to speak up; they fear their parents’ interference may
jeopardize their jobs. Encourage them to talk to their supervisor and health and
safety representative.
EMPLOYING YOUNG WORKERS
No job is worth your child’s life!
For more information for parents about the law and safety for young workers, go to: www.WorkSmartOntario.gov.on.ca and www.youngworker.ca.
If you need help with a concern about safety in your teen’s workplace, call the local office of the Ontario Ministry of Labour (listed in the blue pages of your phone book) or call 1-800-268-8013.
You send your teenagers to driving school to become safer, smarter drivers, so why not give them the same advantage in the workplace? A $9.00 lifetime Passport to Safety membership provides a standardized safety test, a nationally recognized safety
transcript for young workers to attach to their resumes, and 24/7 access to workplace safety resources. Find out more about it at: www.passporttosafety.com
The Ontario Service Safety Alliance does not assume and is not responsible for any liability whatsoever for any use of this material. To determine rights and obligations under the laws regulating workplace heath and safety, the reader is directed to the provisions of the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the regulations made under that statute.
Minimum Age Requirements for Working In Ontario
| Age (years) | Sector |
| 14 | Establishments such as offices, stores, arenas, restaurant serving areas. |
| 15 | Factories (other than logging operations), restaurant kitchens and warehouses. |
| 16 | Construction, surface mines (except the working face); logging operations; mining plants. |
| 18 | Underground mining or a working face of a surface mine; window cleaning. |
Questions to ask your teen:
Special thanks to the Ministry of Labour for their permission to reprint the content of their brochure, "Who’s Looking After Your Children Now?"
Excerpted From Safety Mosaic, Vol. 7 # 1, Spring 2004
That you should not use your hands to compress garbage in a bag - use a stick.