Safety Information for Young Workers and Employers of Young Workers

If you’re a student or young worker and

• working part-time, for pocket money or to supplement your student allowance,
• looking for part-time or holiday work or
• thinking about a future career

Or, if you employ a student or young worker then you need to know about the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992, the restrictions on the work young people can do, and generally about minimum rights.

Here are links to fact sheets and further website information providing specifically tailored for young workers and employers of young workers.  A list of key information is set out below.

Other Material

• Children's Safety Site
• Farm Safety for Young Employees
• ATV Safety for Young Employees

Youth Minimum Rights – Key Points

Health and Safety in Employment Law 

• the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 applies to young people just like older workers
• students on training or work experience are treated as employees
• it’s the employer’s duty to provide a safe workplace, with proper training, supervision & equipment, and employees must also do their best to keep themselves safe
• employees have the right to participate in improving health and safety
• employees have the right to refuse to do work likely to cause them  serious harm

Employees - Tell Someone If You Get Hurt at Work

• if you get harmed at work, tell your employer or safety representative, even if you don’t think it’s serious

Age Restrictions on Dangerous Work

• the Health and Safety in Employment Regulations 1995 put age restrictions on dangerous work.
• Under 15 employees can’t work in certain places, operate machinery, drive a vehicle, lift heavy loads or do any work likely to harm them
• Under 16 employees can’t be employed between 10pm and 6am
• Under 15 young people can’t even be present in dangerous workplaces

Minimum Employment Rights

• there are other laws such as the Employment Relations Act 2000, Minimum Wage Act 1983, and Holidays Act 2003 that also apply to young people
• employees must have a written employment agreement
• employer and employee should treat each other with respect and act honestly and openly – this is called acting in “good faith”
• employees have the right to join the union
• there are legal minimum wages for employees 16 and over
• there are legal minimum annual and public holidays and sick leave entitlements

Documents available from main page content