Young People in the Workplace

The introduction of the Health and Safety (Young Persons) Regulations 1997 came into force on 3rd March 1997. This legislation should not be viewed as a barrier to employing young people but more as a means to ensure that their introduction to the workplace is as safe a process as possible. Young people are particularly at risk within a workplace, because of their relative lack of experience, and in some cases a lack of maturity, which may reduce their awareness of existing or potential risks.

The regulations define a young person as being someone who has not attained the age of 18 but is over the minimum school leaving age (MSLA). Any references to a young person in this bulletin obviously apply to any person under 18, These regulations apply to the employment of all young people, regardless of the number of hours worked or the duration of the period of work.
A young person should not be expected to do any of the following:

• Work beyond their physical or psychological capabilities;
  
• Perform work, which involves harmful exposure to radiation;
  
• Perform work, which involves risks to health from noise, vibration or extreme heat or cold;
  
• Perform work, which involves harmful exposure to any agents which can chronically affect health, those with toxic or carcinogenic effects or those causing genetic damage or harm to an unborn child.

Working time Regulations 1998 - include enhanced requirements for young workers:

• Daily rest - A young worker is entitled to 12 uninterrupted in each, 24-hour period in which they work and if a young worker is required to work for more than four and a half consecutive hours, he or she is entitled to a rest break of 30 minutes.
  
• Weekly rest - Young workers are entitled to two off each week. This cannot be averaged over a two-week period.
  
• Night work - a health & safety assessment, if they work during the period 10 pm to 6 am.

Specific risk assessments - every employer(s) must undertake a "suitable and sufficient" risk assessment by a "competent person" specifically relating to the employment of young people before employing them (or before a work placement starts). Where there are young people already at work in the company the employer must undertake the risk assessment straight away.

The risk assessment should give particular consideration to:

• The immaturity and inexperience of the young person and any consequential lack of awareness of risks;
  
• The health and safety training to be given to the young person;
  
• The extent of exposure to any chemical, biological or physical agents;
  
• The risks posed by those aspects this includes such aspects as work with explosives, work in compressed air, work with lead and asbestos, etc;
  
• The nature and layout of the work area;
  
• The types of equipment, methods of use and work activities to be undertaken;
  
• Body dimensions of Young Person(s) in relation to safe distances used to prevent access to danger zones; and
  
• The availability of PPE which is suitable for YPs (e.g. appropriate fit);
  

Produced by the GMB, London Region,
Thorne House, 152 Brent Street, Hendon. NW4 2DP
Tel: 020 8202 8272
Fax: 020 8202 2893