Work Environment Information UnitJulia Flintrop

Young WorkersHealth and Safety at Work

Content

EU-OSHA activities on young workers Facts and figures concerning young workers

o Special riskso Main employment sectors o Employment conditions

Prevention of accidents and ill health o Conclusions from facts and figures reporto Good practice example

Campaign on young workers: Safe start http://osha.europa.eu/en/campaigns/ew2006o Visual materials for awareness raising

• video competition• E-cards• Animated films: NAPO http://osha.europa.eu/sub/napo/en/napos-films

o Research and background information:• OSH in figures report: Young workers

o Practical information:• Factsheets for employers, young workers, parents & supervisors• Risk prevention for young workers: Collection of good practice examples

(2006) Mainstreaming OSH into education: Collection of good practice

examples (2009) Workplace health promotion: Collection of good practice examples

(2010)

EU-OSHA activities

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Exposure to risk factors

15-24 years15-24 yearstotal work forcetotal work force

Exposure to dangerous substances

NetherlandsAbout 15% of young workers exposed to dangerous substances, compared to 7% of all workers

GermanyAbout 20.9% of young workers report working with oil, grease, soil and dirt, compared to 18.1% of all workers

EUCarcinogenic substances, under 25 years 17% exposure, ca. 13% for older workers

France Exposure to chemicals, 47% of young workers, 37% others

Occupational accidents

Non-fatal accidents in the EU (2003)o 4,7% 18-24 years, 3,3% all workerso Comparing 18-24 year old workers to 55-64%

year old workers, young workers have a 50% higher incident rate for non-fatal accidents

Franceo Likelyhood of under 25 year olds to have an

accident is 3 times greater than overall average Netherlands

o Possible chance of accidents for young workers (20-24 years) as twice as high as for normal workforce

Why are young people at special risk?

Factors putting young workers at risk include: Lack of awareness of OSH risks Lack of skill/training in the job they are doing Physical/mental immaturity Being given jobs that are beyond their capabilities Lack of health and safety information and training Lack of supervision Lack of awareness of employers’ duties, and their

own rights and responsibilities Lack of confidence to raise OSH issues

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Main employment sectors for young workers

Percentage of workers being 15-24 years oldPercentage of workers being 15-24 years old%%

Employment conditions

Temporary work37,5% of YW were in fixed-term jobs, compared to 12% of all workers (2005)

Part-time jobs25% young workers had a part-time job within the EU-25 compared to 16% of workers aged 25-49 (2005)

Shift work YW do more shift work and have more irregular working hours (shift work 22,4% YW – 19,3% all workers, 2000)

High pace at work YW are more often working at high speed and tight deadlines than others (27,9% of YW - 24,9% all workers, 2000)

Effects of unemployment on young workersIn most of the European regions, unemployment of YW was at least twice as high than total unemployment rate (2005)

Conclusions for prevention

Focus on special sectors Focus on most prevalent risks Develop effective training methods Target employment agencies Give attention to ‘female’ jobs Mainstream OSH into education at all levels Remember that young workers are not a homogenous group Pay special attention to part-timers and temporary workers Include young workers’ issues into guidelines on shift working Cooperation across policy areas is needed Train inspectors on the special risks for young people

Manpower/AXA/Arcelor – Belgium

Temporary workers must know steel company Arcelor safety rules BEFORE being employed

Arcelor safety rules difficult to learn. 30% assessment failure. How well were rules remembered by those passing?

Partnership between temporary work agency, Manpower, company – Arcelor, Mutual insurer AXA

Young workers developed tool at AXA for training at Manpower

Self-paced e-learning, step-wise approach, illustrations, quizzes

Computerized multiple choice test ->Safety passport Success: 100% pass rate, no accidents to temporary workers

in the period from 2005-2006

Good practice example

Thank you for your attention!

flintrop@osha.europa.eu