Young Worker Safety Program

Background:

The Young Worker Safety program was developed with a vision to have no young workers injured on the job in Lambton County.  The intent is to make this Young Workers Safety Awareness Training mandatory for employment for all young workers in Sarnia Lambton.

Goals: 

• to have ALL youth in Sarnia Lambton take this training and receive a safety card. 


• to have Lambton County youth who think safety in their behaviors and actions; are aware of workplace hazards; and are aware of their workplace rights and responsibilities.


• to have Lambton employers who view safety as a governing principle in conducting business; believe that all injuries are unacceptable and preventable; provide safety and workplace training for employees; and will make “Young Worker Safety Awareness Training” a pre-requisite for hiring young workers.

Target Groups:

Youth from ages 14 to 25

Lambton County businesses, primarily in the services sector, the manufacturing and construction industries.  77% of young worker injuries occur in these sectors.

In a 2 1/2  hour training session we cover such topics as:

• Legislation; OHSA awareness; employee rights; workplace responsibilities
  


• WHMIS and workplace exposure; hazard identification: definition, prevention and   identifying hazards; Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
  


• behaviour modification: attitude awareness; how to approach manager about a safety concern; how to refuse unsafe work; how to deal with no PPE, and how to deal with no orientation or safety training
  


• A competency test is given to participants at the end of each session.  A safety awareness card is given to the participants who achieve a minimum of 80 percent accuracy on the test, to show prospective employers that they have successfully completed the safety awareness training.
  


• This safety awareness program does not replace job-specific health and safety training that is required of all employers under provincial legislation.  All employers are still required to provide the training necessary for workers to be able to perform jobs safely, and asked to make this young worker safety awareness training mandatory, and a pre-requisite for employment for all young workers in Sarnia Lambton.