Involving young people in the workplace is a great way to provide them with experience – however, there may be new or different risks that PCBUs need to manage
Health and safety for young workers is not about excluding young people from the industry; it’s about identifying risk, assessing how likely that risk is to occur and managing it effectively.
There are certain work areas and work tasks that young people can and can’t be involved with.
Work and Tasks
Young workers don’t have the skills or physical ability to do certain work. Work and tasks should be age appropriate, scheduled during appropriate hours and supervised where needed. Some exceptions apply.
Young workers can’t:
- Lift any weight or perform any task likely to harm their health
- Construction work
- Logging or tree-felling.
- Manufacture or prepare goods.
- Make or use hazardous substances.
- Work or assist with (or at) any machinery.
- Drive a vehicle (workers 12 years or older can drive or ride on a tractor for agriculture work if trained.)
- Ride on a vehicle with attachments (eg trailer) connected, or ride on the attachments.
- Work between the hours of 10 pm and 6 am if under 16 years. (The worker can work between 10 pm
and 6 am if the work complies with an approved code of practice for that work by a young person during
those hours.)
Unless:
- Work and tasks are suitable for their age, skill, and ability.
- It is administrative or retail work for businesses carrying out the work listed above
Example: A young worker can work in the office for a newspaper company, assisting with paperwork, filing and
newspaper runs. They can observe the daily operations of the business and other workers, but should not work
with the printing press machinery.
Work Areas
There are certain work areas young people must not be in. Some exceptions apply.
Young workers can’t be in:
- Areas where goods are being prepared or made for trade or sale.
- Areas where there is construction work.
- Areas where there is logging or tree-felling.
- Areas where hazardous substances are being made or used.
- Any area where the work is likely to cause harm to a young person.
Unless:
- under direct and active adult supervision that is appropriate for the age and nature of the work
- on a guided tour
- in retail areas
- in public areas
Example: A young person can ride in the cab of a truck as a worker is delivering goods, provided the supervising
worker has assessed the risk and taken steps to reduce the likelihood of that risk causing harm (eg removing car
keys when getting out of the car to deliver a package).
