Online safety tips to help young workers

A new website was recently launched by the South Australian Industrial Relations Minister, Paul Caica, to help young people deal with issues in the workplace. Caica says: "It’s a great resource, not only for young people themselves but also for their parents, caregivers and employers.

"We know that young people have a relative lack of experience in the workplace and are more vulnerable to exploitation. This puts them at greater risk of being injured at work, as well as being underpaid through illegal practices, such as so-called ‘trial work’.

“The government firmly believes that young people who have just entered, or who may be just about to enter, the workplace should be armed with access to the knowledge they need to look after themselves and look after their workmates.

“This new site — Youth@Work — will be a strong contributor to that process. It will provide young Australians with ongoing information and advice on what safety systems should exist at work, how to ensure they receive their proper pay, conditions and entitlements, and what to do if they’re bullied or harassed.”

In preparing the website, a SafeWork SA project team heard from students and young workers from across metropolitan Adelaide and regional South Australia and also conducted an online survey. The main concerns uncovered included:

• A lack of familiarity by younger survey participants, aged 15–17, with awards and enterprise agreements;
• Considerable confusion surrounding so-called ‘trial work’;
• Bullying or harassment in the workplace.

“These concerns and many other workplace issues of importance to young workers have been addressed in the Youth@Work site which can be found on our SafeWork SA website,” Caica said.