Parenting Young Workers

Parents: Don’t assume that your son or daughter is safe at work!

Keep in mind that...

...young workers often can’t recognize health and safety hazards and hesitate to ask questions

...young workers are much more likely to be injured on the job.

Remind your kids that all workers have the right to...

• Know about health and safety hazards in their workplaces and how to protect themselves.
• Participate in resolving workplace health and safety concerns.
• Refuse unsafe work.

All workers must...

• Work safely, using all required equipment correctly.
• Report hazards (and violations of workplace health and safety law) right away to their supervisor or employer.
• Use all required protective devices and wear all required protective gear (it’s illegal to remove protective devices and not to wear required safety gear such as safety glasses, etc.).

Ask your working teen about his or her health and safety at work:

• What do you normally do at work?
• Do you climb or work at heights?
• Do you lift and carry heavy objects?
• Has your employer provided workplace safety orientation training and information?
• Do you know what protective equipment to wear and how to use it?
• Do you work with chemicals? Have you been trained in their proper use?
• Are you tired at work? (Full-time school, homework, social life and work together can cause fatigue, increasing the risk of injury at work and while driving.)
• Does your supervisor work near you?
• Does your supervisor provide on-the-job safety feedback?
• Do you feel you can report safety concerns to your supervisor?
• Do you know how to report workplace injuries?
• Do you know about your rights and obligations under Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act?

Age matters! Minimum age for working in Ontario

The minimum age for working in Ontario is 14 years in most types of industrial workplaces.

Regulations specify higher minimum ages for certain types of work and workplaces:

15 yrs

Most factories, including restaurant kitchens, automotive service garages, produce and meat preparation areas, laundries, warehouses, and shipping and receiving areas in grocery stores

16 yrs

Construction projects, mining plants, surface mines (except workface), logging operations

18 yrs

Underground mine, surface mine workface, window cleaning.

Workers aged 14, 15, 16 or 17 may not be employed during school hours unless they are excused from school attendance in accordance with the Education Act.

Bottom line

Parents, you can help protect young workers just starting out. Talk to them about workplace health and safety. Support them in saying “No!” to unsafe work.

Call toll-free 24/7

Call 1-877-202-0008 anytime to report unsafe work practices or for general inquiries about health and safety at the workplace.

 

 

It’s OK to say “No!”
No job is worth risking life and limb!

Talk to your young son or daughter about job safety. Make sure he or she knows it’s OK to say “No!” to unsafe work — and that you will support that decision.

Encourage your teen to:

• Learn about his or her rights and obligations under Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA).
• Ask prospective employers about workplace health and safety information and instruction.

Workplace inspections

Ministry of Labour inspectors regularly check to see that workers are of legal age and that their working conditions comply with workplace health and safety requirements.