McGuinty Government Takes Action To Reduce Young Worker Injuries

Teens and Youth Who Go Straight Into the Workforce Are Most Likely To Be Injured

July 28 2006 - The McGuinty government is turning to young people and experts for help in reducing injuries and deaths on the job among youth who go directly into the workforce from school, Labour Minister Steve Peters announced today.

"Serious and fatal injuries are most common among young people under 25 years old who go right to work after leaving school," said Peters. "We have excellent prevention programs for those still in school, but we need to figure out how to reach the others. We must do more to create a culture of prevention."

A Minister's Action Group on Vulnerable Workers Under 25 has been established to help find new and innovative approaches to reduce workplace injuries and deaths in this hard-to-reach demographic group.

The action group is made up of young people, labour market experts, specialists and others involved in identifying issues and creating solutions for this vulnerable part of the workforce. Minister Peters will chair the group.

Specifically, the group will:

identify gaps in communication, knowledge or skills that may be a cause of workplace injuries and deaths among post-secondary youth
find best practices for a co-ordinated strategy that can make workplaces safer for new, young and inexperienced workers
suggest methods, strategies and processes to provide appropriate health and safety awareness and education to workers under the age of 25 who are outside of the education system.

Ontario has many excellent programs aimed at Ontario youth who are still in school. For example, health and safety is part of the mandatory curriculum in grades 9 through 12 in Ontario.

"We are on the side of working families and want to make sure their sons and daughters come home safely from work each day," said Peters. "That's why we are zeroing in how to reach this difficult demographic group which is more likely to be hurt on the job."

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