Bridging the Gap; Workplace Safety and Young Workers

Background: Working part time and studying is a normal part of growing up for many teenagers and young adults in Ontario. Within this context, however, young people are at particularly elevated risk for work-related injury. A collaboration among a community college, a research centre and an work place safety non-government organization to explore the optimal way to improve aspects of occupational health and safety (OHS) for postsecondary students. The study objectives were: 1) to determine the current nature of work and safety training of youth working part time, 2) to investigate the effectiveness of an on-line intervention targeted to youth , which aims to revolutionize thinking among youth about on-the-job safety. Methods: An intervention and comparison group was used to compare students who receive usual training with those who also receive the on line work safety program. Using an experimental (pre-post intervention) design both groups completed the Student Work Safety Assessment Tool SWSAT before training session (T1) and following the initial training (T2) and again three months following the safety training (T3). Results: Individual items will be reviewed for descriptive statistics and compared and reported for both study groups. Repeated measures regression analysis will be conducted to examine the sustainability effects of the on-line training. If a sufficient number of injuries or near miss experiences are reported, frequency and incidence rates may be calculated. Conclusions: This research contributes to the developing body of knowledge on the nature of work and work injuries from the youth's perspective. Findings from this study will be useful to public health nurses involved with program planning for adolescent and young adult workers. Understanding youth risk factors at work and can provide more opportunities for researchers , workplaces and prevention organizations to work together to reduce work injuries not only youth but workers of all ages.