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Canberra Today 27°/30° | Tuesday, March 19, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Nearly half of young workers injured on the job

A NEW UnionsACT report into workplace safety of workers aged between 15 to 25 shows that forty percent of young workers have been injured at work, demonstrating a high level of under-reporting of workplace injuries. 

Alex White
UnionsACT secretary Alex White.
The report also found that forty percent of young workers have not been told by their employer what to do if they are injured at work. 

Secretary of UnionsACT Alex White says thousands of young people in their first job are faced with unsafe working conditions, injuries, sexual harassment and callous employers.

“Our research again shows that many young workers face serious risks when they go to work, including injuries, threats from customers and supervisors, and intimidation, and unlawful disregard for the law by employers,” he says. 

“Young workers are injured at work at twice the rate of older workers, and this report confirms that there is significant under-reporting in the official figures.

“It is unacceptable that adult employers are putting people as young as 15 in unsafe working conditions.

“UnionsACT has proposed detailed reforms to the ACT Apprentice and Young Worker Safety Advisory Committee to improve protections for young workers.”

The research found that:

  • Forty percent of young workers aged 15 to 25 had been injured at work.
    § 36 percent of workers aged under 18 have been injured at work.
    §  Forty percent of young workers have not been told by their employer what to do if they are injured at work.
    §  Bullying and harassment of young workers remains constant compared to 2017, with seventy percent of young workers reporting they had been bullied or harassed while at work.
    §  Awareness of workplace safety rights, policies and laws remains low.
    §  Young women reported high levels of experiencing sexual harassment while at work.

This is the second young worker safety report prepared by UnionsACT. The report consisted of interviews and surveys with 223 young workers across Canberra in January and February 2018.

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    Thank you,

    Ian Meikle, editor

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