Summary and implications

When employing a young person (anyone under the age of 18), employers have the same responsibilities for their health, safety and welfare as they do for other employees.

Under health and safety law, every employer must ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, the health and safety of all their employees, irrespective of age. So far as reasonably practicable means balancing the level of risk against the measures needed to control the real risk in terms of money, time or trouble. Action does not need to be taken if it would be grossly disproportionate to the level of risk.

For many young people the workplace will be a new environment and they will be unfamiliar with "obvious" risks and the behaviour expected of them in response. As such, while there is no requirement for an employer to carry out a separate risk assessment specifically for a young person, if a young person has not been previously employed, employers should review their risk assessment and take into account the specific factors for young people, before that person starts.

Employers have a responsibility to ensure that young employees are not exposed to risk due to: lack of experience; being unaware of existing or potential risks; and/or lack of maturity. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 also provide that the following should be considered:

  • the layout of the workplace;
  • the physical, biological and chemical agents they will be exposed to;
  • how they will handle work equipment;
  • how the work and processes are organised;
  • the extent of health and safety training needed; and
  • risks from particular agents, processes and work.

These considerations should be straightforward in a low-risk workplace, for example an office. In higher-risk workplaces the risks are likely to be greater and will need more attention to ensure they're properly controlled.

Particularly for higher-risk environments, specific factors that may need to be considered include exposure to radiation, noise and vibration, toxic substances, or extreme temperatures. Where these specific factors exist in the workplace, employers should already have control measures in place. It is also important that young people are given the necessary training and supervision. Young people might need additional support to allow them to carry out their work without putting themselves and others at risk, and this might mean more tailored training and/or closer supervision. Regularly checking a young person's progress will help to identify where any additional adjustments may be needed. This is also why it's often appropriate to put age limits on the use of some equipment and machinery, as is the case for forklift trucks and some woodworking machinery.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.