Also, they are relatively unfamiliar with most job tasks, they do not know how to work safely, and they are uninformed about their labor rights and assorted workplace hazards. Their eagerness to please a supervisor, combined with a reluctance to ask questions or make demands, may result in their accepting tasks for which they are unprepared. Improper or illegal job assignments account for between 20 and 40 percent of youth injuries that result in ER visits. If you're going to hire young people, it pays to revisit your hazard assessments for those positions. What might be classified as safe for a veteran employee may warrant a different classification with a young worker at the controls.
Supervisors sometimes make mistakes in judging youths' capabilities.
Large boys may be given adult tasks simply because of their size without regard for their lack of experience and maturity. Small teens may not be able to reach machine parts and may lack the strength required for certain tasks. If your company employs teens in significant numbers, you will probably incur a higher injury rate. One strategy to combat this problem is to tap the ideas of managers who have worked well with teens in the past. Increase general safety awareness this way, and the reward will be a safer summer for the your people hired to work in your facility.