Annette Brooke Calls For Action Over Young Deaths At Work

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Fri 20th Apr 2007

The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health is campaigning to improve young people's safety in the workplace

Annette Brooke, Liberal Democrat MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole, has called for the Government to back a plan by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) to reduce the number of deaths and injuries of young people in the workplace.

Annette Brooke commented:

"Young people at work, through their lack of experience, are extremely vulnerable to the risks of injury or, even worse, death in the workplace. I strongly support IOSH's proposed action plan to minimise the misery caused by these incidents and urge the Government to adopt it as quickly as possible."

Over the last decade 14,500 teenagers were seriously injured at work and 66 killed. To help prevent these unnecessary deaths and injuries, the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) has produced a six point action plan, Putting Young Workers First. The plan calls on the Government to make the new Workplace Hazard Awareness course for year 10 pupils, developed by IOSH and the Health and Safety Executive, (HSE), a mandatory part of every curriculum.

IOSH President Lisa Fowlie said:

"We welcome Annette's help in pressing for action to ensure that the workers of tomorrow are able to lead a full, fit and happy life."

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

IOSH is Europe's leading body for health and safety professionals. It has nearly 30,000 members worldwide, including more than 10,000 Chartered Safety and Health Practitioners. The Institution was founded in 1945 and is an independent, not-for-profit organisation that sets professional standards, supports and develops members and provides authoritative advice and guidance on health and safety issues. IOSH is formally recognised by the ILO as an international non-governmental organisation. www.iosh.co.uk

Putting young workers first calls for:

• Schools to raise awareness among young people by covering health and safety before students start work experience. IOSH has created a free resource to help at www.wiseup2work.co.uk and has developed a new Workplace hazard awareness course with the Health and Safety Executive and British Safety Council Awards that will soon be available at the site.

• Teacher training courses to include a work-related health and safety module (part of the initial teacher training curriculum).

• Employers and workplaces (prior to a work experience placement) to be assessed for health and safety and those assessing them should complete a training course of ENTO national standard.

• Better vetting procedures to make sure employers include health and safety in inductions and supervise young people properly.

• No barriers for training providers to raise health and safety concerns. At present, individual targets could take precedence over conducting health and safety checks.

• Health and safety to be a priority for the government when setting strategic priorities for education, training and skills. Health and safety to be reinstated as a grant letter priority for the Learning & Skills Council (LSC), the organisation that funds the education and training of 6 million young people each year. Health and safety was reinstated in the LSC grant letter from Education Secretary Alan Johnson October 18 2006.

Wiseup2work is an interactive online resource for teachers, youth workers, supervisors and employers to use to prepare young people for work. It is available at www.wiseup2work.co.uk The resource is supported by the Learning and Skills Council, the National Youth Agency and the British Chambers of Commerce.