Don't be hurt by your summer job
Tens of thousands of students and young people take on summer jobs each year, mainly in the hospitality sector. This temporary workforce creates a difficulty for health and safety experts, who say that because the workers are temporary and are also in sectors with a higher risk of injury, some unscrupulous employers will seek to cut corners where safety is concerned.
A number of recent cases involving student workers have shown the vital importance of proper health and safety guidelines and highlighted the importance of educating these workers to make sure they know their rights in the workplace, and also their right to claim compensation if they are indeed involved in an accident.
Safety Hazards
For students looking for work for a short time over the summer holidays a common choice is working in the kitchens of Britain’s many thousands of pubs and restaurants. Dealing with boiling liquids and slippery floors on a daily basis is a recipe for disaster if proper safety precautions aren’t taken.
Denise Kitchener, from the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (Apil) noted recently that a small minority of bosses take advantage of the power they have over these temporary workers in order to cut costs and that one of the most important things in stopping injuries is to make sure these young people feel confident enough to challenge unsafe practices.
"Environments such as pub kitchens can be a hotbed for safety hazards, and we are concerned that young people who are only employed for a few months through the holidays, will be afraid to speak up if they feel their safety is at risk," said Kitchener.
"There are some rogue employers who don’t put the safety of their employees at the top of the agenda, but the reality is that they have a responsibility to protect them regardless of whether they are temporary or not," she added.
Kitchener highlighted the cases of individual workers who had been affected by a workplace accident while in a summer job.
One young woman, who took a job in a local restaurant, found that her summer was ruined after being pressured by negligent behavior. The woman was asked to take out glasses from a dishwasher that had not finished and was left with severe cuts after one of the glasses exploded in her hand.
"I couldn’t get more work for the rest of the summer. It was a struggle because there were things I wanted to do, but couldn’t, and I was short on money which I could’ve earned had this not happened," she said.
Even in a hectic kitchen it is not acceptable for managers and owners to force staff to cut corners notes Kitchener, and young staff need to find the courage to "speak up" if they see unsafe practices.
Serious injuries can not only lead to pain and disability but can also mean taking substantial time off work.
"Injuries like this can and should be avoided in the first place. Employers have no right to put a worker’s safety at risk no matter how busy they are. We would advise all workers not to do anything which they think may put them in danger, and not to be afraid to speak up if they are at all concerned," she added.
Updated on 8/9/2009