Health and safety: Young People at Work

The Health and Safety Executive has some excellent resources for employers thinking about or employing young people.  From the legislation to risk assessments for work experience, and the number of hours a young person can work per day, employers must work within the recommendations and of course, the law to ensure the safety and wellbeing of young staff.

Remember the laws and recommendations are not there to stop you from supporting young people but to assist you with the process.

Here is some key information from the HSE Website Youth Employment UK recommends that organisations check with the HSE directly with any queries or concerns.

Under health and safety law, every employer must ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, the health and safety of all their employees, irrespective of age. As part of this, certain considerations need to be made for young people.

This section outlines the requirements of the law. Putting the requirements into practice should be straightforward and in most cases, an employer should already have the necessary risk management arrangements in place.

Following the guidance means those involved in employing young people for work or work experience will be doing what the law requires.

Definitions of young people and children by age:

• A young person is anyone under 18 and
• A child is anyone who has not yet reached the official minimum school leaving age (MSLA). Pupils will reach the MSLA in the school year in which they turn 16.

Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999

Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, an employer has a responsibility to ensure that young people employed by them are not exposed to risk due to:

• lack of experience
• being unaware of existing or potential risks and/or
• lack of maturity

An employer must consider:

• the layout of the workplace
• the physical, biological and chemical agents they will be exposed to
• how they will handle work equipment
• how the work and processes are organised
• the extent of health and safety training needed
• risks from particular agents, processes and work

Employers need to consider whether the work the young person will do:

• is beyond their physical or psychological capacity
  • This doesn’t have to be complicated, it could be as simple as checking a young person is capable of safely lifting weights and remembering and following instructions.
• involves harmful exposure to substances that are toxic, can cause cancer, can damage or harm an unborn child, or can chronically affect human health in any other way
  • Be aware of substances a young person might come into contact with in their work, consider exposure levels and ensure legal limits are met.
• involves harmful exposure to radiation
  • Ensure a young person’s exposure to radiation is restricted and does not exceed the allowed dose limit.
• involves the risk of accidents that cannot reasonably be recognised or avoided by young people due to their insufficient attention to safety or lack of experience or training
  • A young person might be unfamiliar with ‘obvious’ risks. An employer should consider the need for tailored training/closer supervision.
• has a risk to health from extreme cold, heat, noise or vibration
  • In most cases, young people will not be at any greater risk than adults and for workplaces that include these hazards it is likely there will already be control measures in place.

A child must never carry out such work involving these risks, whether they are permanently employed or under training such as work experience.

A young person, who is not a child, can carry out work involving these risks if:

• the work is necessary for their training
• the work is properly supervised by a competent person
• the risks are reduced to the lowest level, so far as reasonably practicable.

Employers must let the parents or guardians of any child know the possible risks and the measures put in place to control them. This can be done in whatever way is simplest and suitable, including verbally.

Health and Safety Advice for Employers

There are other agents, processes and work that should be taken into account when employing a young person. This is a non-exhaustive list and, where relevant, more information can be found through the links provided:

• biological agents
• working with chemicals
• working with lead and lead processes
• asbestos
• working with explosives, including fireworks
• working with compressed air
• construction, including demolition
• electrical safety
• agriculture
• manufacturing

Working hours for young workers

Working hours are not governed by health and safety laws.

Young people and children have different employment rights from adult workers and are subject to protections in relation to the hours they can work.

Find more information on working ages and working hours for children and young people.

What Work can Children not do?

Children below the minimum school leaving age (MSLA) must not be employed in industrial workplaces such as factories, construction sites etc, except when on work experience.

For more information and support, visit the .gov website.