It is recognised that young workers are particularly at risk where
there are dangerous work practices. If you are under the age of 18,
whether or not you are still at school, the Health and Safety (Young
Persons) Regulations 1997 cover you. The main obligation on your employers
is to have carried out a risk assessment to see if there are any particular
risks to your health and/or safety in the way that the job is organised
or done. This assessment is designed to take account of your possible
inexperience or lack of awareness about potential workplace risks
and has to take account of the equipment you will be using and where
you will be working. You should not be asked to do work which is beyond
your physical or psychological capacity or where you are exposed to
risky chemicals or toxins. You should not be made to work in extreme
heat or cold unless properly supervised.
A GMB/NUS survey found that one in five students reported health
and safety problems in their places of work ranging from workplace
hazards, which could cause injury, to incidents of actual injury.
The most common accidents were burns from hot equipment or food,
cuts and injuries from heavy lifting.
Other risks included working alone at night and being at risk from
hostile customers.
Even if you are over the age of 18 you still have rights to have
your health and safety protected at work The Health and Safety at
Work etc Act 1974 sets out broad general duties on employers to
maintain places of work so that they are safe and free from risks
to health. They must also:
n ensure that plant
and equipment at work is safe;
n make arrangements
for ensuring the safe use, handling, storage and transport of articles
and substances;
n provide health and
safety information, training and supervision;
n ensure safe access
and exit from the workplace;
n provide and maintain
a safe working environment and adequate welfare facilities.
If they employ more than five workers they should also have a written
safety policy which they have to bring to the attention of every
employee. Cases in the courts have made it clear that this applies
to mental as well as physical health so employers need to address
issues like stress.
The Act is supplemented by a number of regulations which set out
more detailed requirements in areas such as VDU’s, risk assessments,
working with particular chemicals and other dangerous substances,
noise and other hazards.
Even if you are employed as a temporary worker, your employer
is obliged by law to give you information on the skills needed to
carry out the work safely and to carry out any necessary health
surveillance.
DANGEROUS WORKPLACE
The law says (section 100 Employment Rights Act 1996) that any worker
walking out in circumstances where it is believed that there is
a “serious or imminent” danger is protected from dismissal for reasons
of the walk-out and this protection applies regardless of the length
of your employment. If you are concerned about an imminent danger
then the correct thing to do is to report the danger and leave the
area at once. If you need more guidance contact
Massive Youth.
ACCIDENTS AT WORK
Employers are required by law to provide adequate and appropriate
first aid equipment and facilities and to ensure that there are
people trained to use it. They are also obliged to report and record
certain accidents at work and keep written records for three years.
If this is not the case contact
Massive Youth.
RISK ASSESSMENTS
Your employer should by law have carried out a risk assessment and
taken reasonable steps to reduce or remove known risks. If the way
that your work has been organised is giving rise to health and safety
risks then your employer has a legal obligation to deal with them.
There should also be workplace or union health and safety representatives
at work whom you should contact about the risks.
HARASSMENT AND
BULLYING
Harassment and bullying are health and safety issues and could be
issues of discrimination if sexual or racial. Your employer has
a duty of care to you to provide a safe working environment and
that includes an environment free from harassment and bullying.
As advised in an earlier section of this guide you should report
any harassment to management and also contact
Massive Youth.
RSI
Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) also known as work-related upper
limb disorder can come from any repetitive motion for example working
at checkout tills, on VDU’s or on production lines. Where these
processes apply your employer should have carried out a risk assessment
of the workstation or equipment. For people working with VDU’s there
are additional specific regulations which entitle users to free
eye tests and, if corrective lenses are required, the cost must
be borne by the employer. If your employer refuses to meet these
costs contact Massive Youth.
The Regulations also recommend that those working with VDU’s be
given regular breaks away from the VDU of say 5 to 10 minutes every
50- 60 minutes. If these are giving you problems which your employer
will not deal with contact Massive
Youth.
SMOKE-FILLED ENVIRONMENTS
Many of the jobs that young people do, like bar work are carried
out in atmospheres where a lot of cigarette smoke is present. There
is growing evidence of the health risks associated with smoke-filled
environments and the government has been seeking views on introducing
a code of practice on smoking in the workplace.
Even in the absence of a specific law which bans workers from being
employed in smoky environments, your employer’s general duty of
care for your health together with their legal obligation to carry
out risk assessments means that they should be taking steps to reduce
or eliminate the risk. This could include improving the ventilation,
giving you frequent breaks or indeed barring customers from smoking.
Under 1992 regulations setting out workplace standards, employers
are also required to make arrangements so that non-smokers using
rest areas do not suffer discomfort from tobacco smoke. If you are
concerned about cigarette smoke at your workplace and your employer
is unwilling to take any steps to improve the situation you should
contact Massive Youth.
TOO COLD OR TOO HOT
Section 2(2)(e) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 requires
your employer to maintain a safe and healthy working environment
and this includes a general obligation to make sure that temperature
and humidity are neither too high or too low. The minimum acceptable
temperature within a workplace is 16°C (13°C if doing heavy physical
work) which should be reached after the first hour of work. There
is no legal limit on the maximum temperature but the World Health
Organisation recommends that maximum air temperature should be 25°C.
Your employer should provide thermometers to allow you to check
the temperature. If they have not been provided contact
Massive Youth.
WASHING FACILITIES
Employers are obliged to provide toilet and washing facilities the
number being related to the size of the workplace. As a general
guide, if there are between 6 and 25 employees there should be at
least two toilets and two washrooms. If washing facilities at work
are inadequate then you should get in touch with Massive Youth.
PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT
Protective equipment should always be seen as a last stage where
an employer has been unable to eliminate risks by other means. But
where you are required to wear such equipment then it has to be
provided:
n at no charge to
you;
n taking account of
the hazards it is seeking to protect you from;
n in good order and
maintained and repaired;
n with instruction
and training as to its use.
It should fit you properly and effectively prevent or adequately
control the risk it is seeking to deal with. Any equipment issued
to you should have a “CE mark” to show that it meets European standards.
If your employer is failing to implement any or all of these requirements
you should contact Massive Youth.
NOISY WORKPLACES
You have the right to be protected from excessive noise at work.
Under regulations introduced in 1990, employers have to measure
noise levels and reduce them where they are above the recommended
level. They have to warn workers entering excessively noisy areas
and to provide ear protection. If this is not happening and you
are worried about noise levels contact
Massive Youth.
HANDLING HEAVY
OR AWKWARD PACKAGES
Employers have, under 1992 Manual Handling Regulations, to take
steps to avoid, as far as reasonably practicable, employees handling
heavy or awkward objects which involve a risk of injury. As with
other requirements under health and safety regulations, employers
need to assess risks and deal with them where possible. Lifting
and handling are dangerous operations which can cause permanent
injury. If you are concerned about what you are being asked to lift
and your employers will do nothing, contact
Massive Youth.
INSURANCE
Your employer is obliged by law to take out employers’ liability
insurance against any claim for injury or disease brought by employees.
A copy of the insurance certificate has to be displayed in a prominent
place. If you are working through an agency you need to check what
arrangements it makes to cover you while at work. If you are worried
about whether you are adequately insured for workplace accidents
or diseases, contact Massive
Youth.
If you are over the age of 17 and your work involves driving you
will, of course, need a full driving license and appropriate insurance.
You need to check if your employers want you to drive on your own
insurance as many policies do not cover business use and where they
do there is almost always a supplement to pay. Your employer should
ideally meet this extra cost and if you have difficulties, contact
Massive Youth.
TRAVEL TO AND FROM
WORK
In most workplace situations you will be required to meet your own
travel costs for getting to and from work. However, there are circumstances
where you may be able to persuade your employer to meet these costs.
This is most likely to be the cause where you are leaving or arriving
at work late at night or in the early hours of the morning and where
your workplace is located in an isolated spot. Although there is
no specific law which requires employers to meet these costs your
employers’ general duty of care for your health and safety may be
of use particularly since the Health and Safety at Work etc Act
places an obligation on the employer to provide safe access and
exit from the workplace. Additionally, if you are under the age
of 18 your employer’s duties to protect your health should have
included carrying out a risk assessment of your travel to work arrangements.
There are good practice examples of employers who do offer travel
subsidies for out of regular hours travel. If you feel that your
travel to work arrangements are putting you at risk contact
Massive Youth.
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Health & Safety