HSE urges employers to take care of its teenage employers
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is urging businesses that employ teenagers or take on students for work experience, to ensure they provide them with adequate training, equipment and supervision.
According to the HSE, with more businesses breaching health and safety regulations for employees, there has been a rise in the number of teenage injuries.
Employers failing to train inexperienced teenage employees
A construction firm was previously prosecuted for breeching health and safety regulations after a 15 year old teenager died after he was allowed to work unsupervised in demolishing an unstable brick wall in April 2007.
The judge stated that the firm, who admitted liability, showed a "cavalier and irresponsible attitude to the safety of his employees" as it failed to discuss and instruct the boy and his 18 year old brother how the wall was to be removed.
As a result, the wall began to move falling onto the 15 year old who fell and became trapped under the rubble. He died after suffering severe head injuries.
The HSE inspector, Simon Hester, who investigated the incident said: "The management and setup of this small construction project was appalling. [The boy] should never have been there at all as 15-year olds have been banned from working on construction sites since 1920."
He added that "there was a complete disregard for basic health and safety requirements - inadequate personal protective equipment, no risk assessments, no training, and minimal supervision. There were no welfare facilities on site."
Mr Hester also pointed out that "the workers were not even covered by Employees Liability Insurance."
The most recent personal injury claim as a result of a work accident involving a teenager was of a 16 year old who lost three fingers while working at a packaging plant in Sheffield.
Following a court hearing, HSE inspector Alan Sheldon said: "This incident highlights the need for all employers to undertake a suitable and sufficient assessment of the safety risks for machine operators - especially when the operator in question is a junior employee with limited knowledge and experience."
Mr Hester added: "We know there are many other sites with serious shortcomings but it is the duty of the contactors and employers to ensure that basic health and safety requirements are followed. The HSE will do all we can to ensure tragedies like this are avoided - we rely heavily on people contacting us with concerns and worries so that we can intervene before any more workers are killed in such tragic circumstances."
Teenage work accidents to soar during summer
And with the recession leaving more employers focused on other aspects of the business, young employees could be at risk from suffering personal injuries as a result of work related accidents.
According to the HSE, work accident claims may soar as more enthusiastic school, college and sixth-form students seek employment or work experience during their summer holidays.
With over 60 per cent of employees believing that employers are putting health and safety towards the bottom of their priority list as the recession puts pressure on their finances, these budding young employees are more likely to fall victim to a work related accident.
Updated on 8/4/2009