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Young People’s Health and Safety at Work [UK]
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A report investigating the attitudes of employers towards the employment and health and safety of young people was published on the HSE website on 17th August 2015.
The report, entitled RR1061 “Employers’ Perceptions of the Health and Safety of Young Workers” features interviews with 14 different representatives from employer organisations, schools, organisers of work placements and insurers.
Previous to the report being published, there was a lack of specific documentation on employers’ attitudes to young people’s health and safety in the workplace. The report was therefore able to provide compelling evidence of a link between the increase of injury in young workers and a lack of work experience, training, physical or psychological maturity.
The report highlights that those interviewed considered age to be a less important factor when employing workers as they tended to prioritise a candidate’s experience and ability. It also reveals that some employers actively use health and safety legislation to avoid hiring young people when there is concern that they would be an additional cost and burden on the business.
For more details, please refer to the full report.
Red-on-line EHS Legalist
Sources:
‘RR1061 Employers perceptions of the health and safety of young workers’ was published on the HSE website on 17th August 2015.We invite you to subscribe to our newsletter.