Quick Guide to Risk Assessment for Young People at Work

• Young Person: Young people at work are any individuals under the age of 18.
• Child: Any individual who has not yet reached the official school leaving age (pupils will reach this age during the year they turn sixteen).

A young worker’s risk assessment must be performed to assess the health and safety risks and the suitability of the young person’s proposed work before recruiting any young person. This applies to:

• Workers
• Those undergoing work experience
• Apprentices

An HSE young worker’s risk assessment must consider the proposed work before they begin their employment or work experience and observe health and safety and working time prohibitions, restrictions, and specific obligations.

Before a young person starts work, a specific HSE young workers risk assessment must be completed, considering:

• The layout of the workplace; physical, biological, and chemical agents; use of work equipment; the organisation of work and processes; health and safety training needed.
• Their stature and physical needs and how they correspond with the ergonomic design of the workplace and workstations.
• Individual characteristics, such as lack of experience, maturity, and limited appreciation of workplace hazards; background influences such as family, cultural or religious beliefs, or social pressures; potential behaviours including the temptation to take shortcuts, misbehave, or copy the unsafe practices of others.

For more information on risk assessments, check out: 5 Steps to Risk Assessment: An Employer’s H&S Guide (link to other guide)

Young people at work must be assigned a competent supervisor for their period of employment or work experience. Line managers must ensure that young persons under their control are not exposed to or engaged in any activity that brings them into contact with prohibited equipment or substances; extreme cold, heat, or noise, or excessive working time.

Young persons must be provided with appropriate induction training, which may include tailored formats and more time to absorb the information. Additional information, instruction, and training should be given before the commencement of the work, and time should be provided for the young person to ask questions.

Training must include:

• Risks to their health and safety are identified in the employer’s risk assessment for young people.
• Preventive and protective measures are in place for the reduction and control of risk.
• Procedures to be followed in the event of serious and imminent danger and the identity of those persons nominated concerning the evacuation of the premises.
• How to raise concerns or doubts to their line manager or supervisor.

Supervision and Reviews

Supervisors must conduct regular reviews with young persons and their appointed trainer(s)/buddy to monitor the effectiveness of their training and maintain appropriate levels of supervision to ensure the young persons are safe and following the provided training. Personal protective and safety equipment must be provided without charge.

Cooperation

Young persons must cooperate in meeting health and safety requirements and not interfere with or misuse anything provided in the interests of health and safety.

Specific Prohibitions

Organisations must determine specific prohibitions and/or requirements, restrictions, or recommendations about specific types of work or use of equipment.

Prohibited Work

Work and equipment that is usually prohibited for young persons include:

• High-risk machinery, including forklift trucks.
• Agricultural and horticultural vehicles.
• Bailing machines and compactors.

In some cases, a young person may be deemed competent when using work equipment under the close supervision of a competent person.

Working Hours

Young people at work are subject to protections regarding the hours they can work. They may not work between the hours of 7:00 pm and 7:00 am.

Rest Periods

Young persons must have a daily rest period of 12 consecutive hours in any 24 hours and an uninterrupted weekly rest period of 2 days (consecutive days where possible) every 7 days. This may be interrupted by justifiable short periods of work, although the rest period must not be shortened to less than 36 hours.

Rest Breaks

Young persons working for more than 4½ hours must have a 30-minute daily rest break, which should be taken consecutively.

Child Employment Restrictions

A child must not be employed, whether paid or not, in the following circumstances:

• Where the child is under the age of 14 years.
• During school hours on any day during which children are expected to attend school.
• Before 7:00 am or after 7:00 pm.
• For more than two hours on any school day.
• For more than 8 hours (or 5 hours if the child is under 15) on any day, they are not required to attend school.
• For more than 35 hours (or 25 hours if they are under 15) in any week they are not required to attend school.

Under health and safety law, employers are required to prioritise the health and safety of all employees, regardless of their age, to the extent that it is reasonably practicable. Specific considerations should be made for young individuals.

If you’re not clear after reading our HSE guide to risk assessment on whether you have all the necessary control measures in place, get in touch with Avensure H&S experts for advice. Simply click here: Avensure Contact.