Focus

Focus Archive

Keeping workers - especially young workers, safe and healthy

September 2010

Young people are especially vulnerable in the workplace. Across Europe, 18-24 year olds are at least 50% more likely to be hurt at work than older people, and young people are also more likely to suffer from an occupational illness says the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work.

According to Canadian research, young, inexperienced workers are over five times more likely to be injured during their first four weeks of employment than other workers. And it's not just accidents that young workers are vulnerable to: they are also at risk from more slowly-developing occupational health problems.

So despite the worldwide recession there will be many young people starting work across all industries and services and they must be trained to be able to avoid accidents and ill health.

Organisations deal with occupational safety and health (OSH) in different ways: some organisations have little expertise in OSH and react to problems such as occupational accidents, work-related diseases and absenteeism in an ad hoc way, while others strive to manage OSH more systematically, and even proactively, by implementing OSH into the organisation's overall management.

To help organisations - managers, directors, supervisors and workers and those teaching in colleges and universities there is OSH UPDATE - an electronic collection of full text and bibliographic authoritative and validated information on all aspects of working life. OSH UPDATE is constantly updated. See for yourself www.oshupdate.com and take a 15 day free trial.