24 Canadian Occupational Safety www.cos-mag.com
T
he statistics paint a pretty clear, and ugly, picture: Teenagers are
twice as likely as older workers to be injured on the job, and workers
in their first four weeks on the job are four times more likely to
be injured, according to the Institute for Work & Health and
the Ontario Ministry of Labour. Put those two factors together
— young and new to the job — and workers are extremely vulnerable to
accidents or injuries.
"Most accidents happen in the first 30 days of work, when a worker has
less experience on the job. And so young workers are the most vulnerable for
this because a lot of the time they've had very limited experience, and they're
unaware of the dangers on the job site," says Jessica DiSabatino, vice-president
at MySafeWork in Toronto.
In 2013, more than 30,000 young Canadian workers were seriously injured
on the job and 30 of them died, according to the Association of Workers'
Compensation Boards of Canada.
Part of the problem lies in the way workers have been traditionally trained
and mentored around workplace safety practices, says Jeff Thorne, manager of
training and consulting at Occupational Safety Group in London, Ont.
"Orientation needs to include those things, rather than just handing them a
book or a manual and saying 'Read this and sign here.'"
early education
A good safety orientation program really orients the young worker as to what
the dangers or hazards are on the job, says DiSabatino, whose brother, David
Ellis, died in a workplace accident at the age of 18.
newer techniques
needed to engage
young workers
in safety –
handing them
an orientation
binder isn't
enough
By Liz Bernier
young
safeless
and
the
The
