WorkSafe Victoria urges employers to look out for young workers

Young workers are the most vulnerable to workplace injuries, according to WorkSafe Victoria.

The organisation released new statistics which show that 49 young people aged 15–24 were injured every week in 2015/16, and said that employers need to prioritise safety discussions and training to reduce the risks. Overall, 2554 injury claims were made by young workers in Victoria.

The statistics, which were recorded April 2015 to March 2016, revealed that young workers in construction, retail, manufacturing and hospitality suffered the most injuries. The most common cause of the injuries was poor manual handling, while hand, finger and back injuries were the most common injury types.

These statistics are being used to support a major social media campaign, which features simulated CCTV footage of young workers in construction, retail, manufacturing and hospitality about to make potentially catastrophic workplace safety decisions.

Each of the CCTV films ends with a series of workplace safety messages about the rights and responsibilities of young workers. The campaign has so far attracted more than 310,079 views in its first few weeks.

WorkSafe Executive Director of Health and Safety Marnie Williams said it was vital for employers to provide adequate training, support and information to young workers.

“While the overall number of injuries to young workers has continued to decline over the past six years, it’s absolutely critical that employers are providing appropriate training, information and advice,” Williams said.

“Employers must take time to educate their young workers of the potential risks involved in completing certain tasks, and how to control or eliminate those risks. Teaching young workers how to properly operate machinery and equipment is also vital.”

Williams said young workers were often oblivious to the long-term implications of a workplace injury.

“Injuries such as pulled muscles, twisted knees and bad backs caused by poor manual handling and repetitive lifting and stacking are common injuries among young people and the effects can last a lifetime,” she said.

Williams said the campaign was specifically aimed at attracting the attention of young workers through digital and social media channels.

“We understand that young people go online for their information, and often across several devices throughout the day,” she said. “Targeting this group through the channels that they use was an important part of this campaign as it’s critical that we reach them with this message — if something looks unsafe or you’re not sure it is absolutely okay to speak up.

“Our message to every employer is that it is your responsibility to ensure you are providing appropriate training and guidance to young workers.”

As part of the campaign, all Victorian employers who have had a young worker injured in their workplace over the past three years will shortly receive an education kit of posters and information cards to remind them of their duties towards young employees.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Goodluz