Ministry of Labour

McGuinty Government Protecting The Health And Safety Of Young Workers

Minister's Action Group Reports On Protecting Vulnerable Workers Under 25

    THUNDER BAY, ON, July 18 — The McGuinty government has received a
report from the Action Group on Vulnerable Workers Under 25 that makes key
recommendations to help protect the safety of vulnerable young people in the
workplace, Labour Minister Steve Peters said today.
    "Our government is committed to creating safer and healthier workplaces
and helping young workers become better informed about their rights," said
Minister Peters. "I would like to thank the Action Group on Vulnerable Workers
Under 25 for valuable insights that will help us move forward in developing
innovative health and safety programs aimed at putting an end to preventable
workplace injuries."
    The Action Group was formed in July, 2006, to look at how to protect the
hard-to-reach segment of young workers who go straight into the workforce from
secondary school and, therefore, may not have been exposed to safety awareness
training. The recommendations in the report fall into two main categories:
    

 — Making sure vulnerable youth have the information and resources they
       need to recognize unsafe situations and have the confidence to say no
       to unsafe work
 — Making sure employers are acting to improve health and safety in
       workplaces that employ vulnerable youth.
    

Contact Info

    The government will work with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board
(WSIB), Occupational Health and Safety Council of Ontario (OHSCO) members and
other partners to develop new health and safety programs aimed at ending
preventable workplace injuries.
    The percentage of youth under the age of 25 working in Ontario rose from
54.1 per cent in 1995, to 57.2 per cent in 2004. Many youth work in small
businesses. Of the 906,400 youth employed in Ontario in 2004, 41 per cent were
employed in businesses with fewer than 20 employees.
    The report on the Minister's Action Group on Vulnerable Workers Under the
Age of 25 can be found on the Ministry of Labour website at
www.labour.gov.on.ca.

    Disponible en français

    

                             www.labour.gov.on.ca


    Backgrounder
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                MINISTER'S ACTION GROUP ON VULNERABLE WORKERS
                             UNDER THE AGE OF 25

    In July 2006, the Action Group on Vulnerable Workers Under 25 was formed,
with the Minister of Labour, Steve Peters, as chair. The group was charged
with:
 — Identifying gaps in communication, knowledge or skills that may be a
       cause of workplace injuries and deaths among this group of young
       workers
 — Seeking out best practices for a coordinated strategy to make
       workplaces safer for new, young and inexperienced workers
 — Suggesting methods, strategies and processes to provide appropriate
       health and safety awareness and education to workers under the age of
       25 who are outside the education system.
    

    Membership on the group included young people representing this target
demographic, youth culture experts, youth labour market experts, youth safety
practitioners and business representatives. Together, they worked on
recommending approaches to provide practical solutions to preventing injuries.
Public input was encouraged through the Action Group members and through the
Ministry of Labour website at www.labour.gov.on.ca.

    Recommendations focus on youth information, workplaces

    The report of the Minister's Action Group on Vulnerable Workers Under 25
presents six recommendations on educating and providing information to this
group, and two recommendations on improving health and safety in workplaces
that employ vulnerable youth.

    

    Recommendations focus on:
      1.  Making a special effort to understand and engage this group of
          young people
      2.  Providing additional support to teachers and students, especially
          in co-op education and other areas where these young people learn
      3.  Providing workplace health and safety information to these young
          people in the locations they frequent
      4.  Working with other government agencies to find more opportunities
          for outreach and coordination of messaging
      5.  Creating a safety support system and single window for youth
          employment issues
      6.  Providing timely support to young workers who may not be getting
          their rights under the Occupational Health and Safety Act
      7.  Exploring new ways to make workplace parties aware of their
          responsibilities for new and young workers
      8.  Working with key partners and employers to implement exceptional
          best practices programs for health and safety orientation, training
          and supervision of young workers.

    The full report can be viewed on the Ministry of Labour website at
www.labour.gov.on.ca.

    Facts about youth employment

 — The percentage of youth under the age of 25 working in Ontario rose
         from 54.1 per cent in 1995, to 57.2 per cent in 2004. Many youth
         work in small businesses. Of the 906,400 youth employed in Ontario
         in 2004, 41 per cent were employed in businesses with fewer than 20
         employees.
 — Young workers balance part-time work and school. 82 per cent of
         youth working part-time in 2004 were also attending school.
 — Youth are more likely to be contingent workers (seasonal, contract,
         or casual) than workers aged 25 years and older. Twenty-three
         per cent of young workers have temporary jobs, while only eight
         per cent of older workers are engaged in this work.
 — Youth tend to change jobs more frequently than older workers. In
         2004, 52 per cent of young workers and 14 per cent of older workers
         in Ontario started work with a new employer.

    Other Ministry of Labour initiatives for young worker health and safety

    In addition to the Minister's action group initiative, the Ministry of
Labour has also put significant effort into several other major programs,
including:

 — Revising the Employment Standards Act poster to contain a reference
         that directs individuals to a new Young Workers Internet Portal
         http://www.labour.gov.on.ca/english/es/poster.html on the Ministry
         of Labour's website
 — Providing Live Safe! Work Smart! workplace health and safety
         resources to classrooms across Ontario, including innovative
         resources for students with special learning needs
 — Promotion of www.WorkSmartOntario.gov.on.ca, the ministry's
         innovative and "youth friendly" website which provides Ontario's
         young workers with the information they need to be safe at work
 — Distribution of Young Worker Safety "tip sheets" produced by the
         Ministry of Labour, to over one million grade 7 to grade 12 students
         in the province
 — Distribution of Young Worker Health and Safety information kits to
         all MPPs in the province.


    For further information:

    Media enquiries:
    Belinda Sutton
    Ministry of Labour
    416-326-7405


    Disponible en français

                             www.labour.gov.on.ca