Workplace Safety & Prevention Services News – First Job, Safe Job
“Helping parents keep their teens safe at work”
By: Workplace Safety & Prevention Services
Remember your first job? No doubt you have several stories about things that made you apprehensive or uncomfortable. Or even a bit frightened.
As your own kids begin to enter the workforce, you may have concerns about their safety and if they received the right training. That’s why Workplace Safety & Prevention Services (WSPS) created a new blog called First Job, Safe Job. It provides practical, useful safety information you can share with the teens and young adults you care about (that’s not dry or boring).
Young people are enthusiastic, productive, versatile, and eager to learn. But teens are also inexperienced and unfamiliar with health and safety or their rights as a worker in Ontario. They may not feel comfortable speaking up if they see something unsafe, may act before thinking of long-term consequences or believe they are immune to harm.
And the statistics are staggering. While they make up only 13% of the workforce, young workers account for 16% of WSIB lost time injury claims and are three times more likely to experience an injury during their first month on the job. 40% of all workplace injuries happen during the first six months on the job. These stats can be worrying for you as your teens enter the working world, but they highlight the importance of getting your kids to understand the importance of health and safety on the job.
But getting them to talk to you about safety can be tough. Let’s face it, it’s not a cool topic when it comes to teens. And trying to make them aware of and able to identify workplace safety issues can feel like an uphill battle.
The blog includes creative ways to pass on important messages and tips in conversations that matter. It also provides stories and tips on:
- Getting your kids to listen about workplace safety
- 4 things you may not know about teens and workplace safety
- How to help your teen ask questions about unsafe or unhealthy work
- What to ask your kid about their first day on the job
- Empowering your kids to refuse unsafe work
- What safety training should your teen get when they start a new job
Young people are always thinking about plans – for after work, for the weekend, for the summer, for school. Let’s help them stay safe so they can reach their full potential and turn those plans into reality. Their future is our future.
Check out First Job, Safe Job and contact WSPS if you have any questions.
About Workplace Safety & Prevention Services
Supporting Healthy & Safe Workplaces in Ontario
Every employer and worker shares responsibility for occupational health and safety. At Workplace Safety & Prevention Services (WSPS), we’re here to provide you with the information and support you need to work safely.
WSPS is a not-for-profit organization offering health and safety expertise and resources to protect Ontario workers and businesses. A trusted safety advisor, we have been making Ontario workplaces safer since 1917.
We Are Part of Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety System
WSPS is a partner in Ontario’s occupational health and safety system, which includes the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD), Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), and six health and safety associations (HSAs) – of which we are one.
We support the agricultural, manufacturing, and service sectors, which employ more than 4.2 million people throughout the province. We’re here to help businesses understand their risks and legal obligations to stay in compliance and build safer workplaces.
How WSPS Supports You
We are your health and safety partner, which means we will support you every step of the way, at the level that’s right for you. There are many ways we can help, whether it’s through training and events, certification training, access to legislation and reference materials, research, or customized consulting with one of our experts to help you build your health and safety program.
