Young People : Resources & Links
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The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999: Provisions relating to young persons Find out more...
What do the Regulations say?
These Regulations are based on the principle that young workers are particularly at risk in the workplace for a variety of reasons, such as:
- their general lack of experience
- their lack of awareness about occupational risks to their health and safety
- their possible immaturity
What are Employers required to do?
These Regulations require employers to:
- take account of young worker's lack of experience, awareness, immaturity etc. when they assess risks to their health and safety;
- make the risk assessment before the young person begins work
- take account of the risk assessment when determining whether or not the young person is prohibited from doing certain work (this does not apply where the young person is over school-leaving age and is doing the work under careful supervision as part of their training and where the risks have been reduced to their lowest practicable level)
- inform parents/guardians of school-age children of the outcome of the risk assessment and the control measures introduced to reduce those risks
Employers who offer work experience placements to young people must provide them with at least the same health, safety and welfare protection and care as they would give to their own employees. Taking into account that young people are particularly at risk, employers may wish to provide even greater care
The Working Time Regulations (WTR) - Find out more...
These Regulations implemented the health and safety provisions Articles 6 and 7 of the European Directive on the European Working Time Directive and parts of the Young Workers Directive which relate to the working time of workers who are above the school leaving age but below 18 years of age.
What do the Regulations say?
These Regulations provide basic rights and protections for workers with enhanced rights for adolescent workers - such as:
- a limit of an average of 48 hours a week which a worker can be required to work (though workers can choose to work more if they want to).
- a limit of an average of 8 hours work in 24 which nightworkers can be required to work.
- a right for night workers to receive free health assessments.
- a right to 11 hours rest a day.
- a right to a day off each week.
- a right to an in-work rest break of 20 minutes if the working day is longer than six hours. Young Workers are entitled to 30 minutes break in every 4.5 hours.
- a right to four weeks paid leave per year.
What are Employers required to do?
These Regulations required employers to reconsider their working practices in light of the rights given to workers and especially young workers.
Exclusions
The Regulations, other than the provisions that relate solely to adolescent workers, do not apply to those who work in the following sectors:
- air transport
- rail - only subject to certain provisions
- road transport - only subject to certain provisions
- sea transport
- inland waterway and lake transport
- sea fishing
- offshore work in the oil/gas industry etc.
For further information see:
www.dti.gov.uk/employment/employment-legislation/working-time-regs/
