Making workplaces safer for young workers!
With summer underway, kids are tossing their books to find summer jobs. While young workers bring fresh new ideas and a renewed energy to the workplace - many don't recognize health and safety hazards. Every day, an average of 70 Ontario workers under 25 are injured on the job. That's three injured every hour. So as part of the Ministry of Labour's commitment to workplace health and safety, George Gritziotis, the Chief Prevention Officer has been appointed to coordinate the system and ensure safer workplaces for Ontarians.
Audio Quote for George Gritziotis:
"As Chief Prevention Officer an important part of my job is to ensure that we have health and safety workplace environments. And this will depend largely on the kinds of partnerships that I can build. It involved bringing together stakeholders from a wide range of industries including the provincial and federal government organizations. Employers have responsibilities under the Occupational Health and Safety Act but workers must also take safety into their own hands by understanding their rights and not being afraid to exercise them, including the right to refuse unsafe work. The bottom line is everyone has to get in on the game to provide the safest work environments possible."
Gritziotis says parents also play an important role. And it's as simple as talking to their kids about their job and ensuring they have the proper protection and training on health and safety procedures. New and young workers are four times more likely to be injured in the first month of their job than at any other time. So don't let them become a statistic and visit Ontario.ca/YoungWorkers or call 1-877-202-0008 for more information and tips.