The Chief Executive Officer of Safe Work Australia, Michelle Baxter (pictured) has drawn on the death of 14 young people in work-related incidents in Australia in 2016 to call on employers and business leaders to educate young workers about workplace health and safety (WHS).
Ms Baxter said last month’s World Day for Safety and Health at Work and Workers’ Memorial Day (28 April) was a time to focus on work health and safety and to honour the memory of those who had died from a work-related injury or illness.
“Fourteen young workers were killed in work-related incidents in 2016, which is 14 workers too many,” Ms Baxter (pictured) said.
“Young workers have an increased risk of workplace injury due to lack of experience, maturity and awareness of WHS responsibilities, so we must focus on building safe and healthy workplaces for this vulnerable group.”
She said it was impossible to overstate the important role of employers, employees and business leaders in educating young workers about their WHS rights and responsibilities.
She said it was crucial to provide the right tools to ensure young workers felt empowered to speak up about safety and health.
“Our young workers’ web page, launched for World Day, provides easy access to resources and toolkits to help both young workers and their employers create safe and healthy workplaces,” Ms Baxter said.
