Getting your first part time job is a proud moment in anyone’s life, and this will be no different for your teen.
Gaining some independence, developing life skills, and earning a bit of cash to spend on just about anything are some of the reasons first jobs are so exciting.
However, in spite of the huge number of benefits of young people working, a growing number of teens are finding themselves injured or, in the very worst cases, killed whilst at work.
Adolescents and young adults (aged between 15-24) suffer approximately twice the rate of occupational injuries as older workers. Experts believe teens may be more at risk because they have less work experience than adults, and may be less confident about speaking up about unsafe working conditions.
If your teen has just secured their first job, make sure you talk to them about identifying and minimizing their risks whilst at work:
Job Options
Help your teen to understand that different jobs carry different levels of risk. For example a job laboring at a construction site is likely to carry a greater risk of physical injury than one in an office or shop.
Workplace Safety
Discuss possible safety issues and safety risks with your teen, and quiz them about what they believe to be dangerous working conditions.
- Discuss work tasks
- Find out what types of equipment and machinery they will use
- Establish what types of protective gear (such as gloves, glasses and ear-plugs) is available to your child, free of charge, of he/she needs it.
In many cases teens just don’t recognize danger before it’s too late. Make sure your teen has a good basic understanding of how to keep safe at work, and what their employer’s responsibilities are.
Check the employer
Consider visiting your teen at their workplace to assess the safety of the environment. Avoid embarrassing them by keeping it light and informal – maybe meet them for lunch or a drink whilst you have a quick look around. If your teen’s employer is a responsible person, they will understand your concerns.
Things to consider include:
- Do most of the employees seem happy and satisfied?
- Does the workplace seem reasonably safe?
- Is the place of employment tidy and organized?
Claiming for compensation
If your teen is unfortunate enough to be injured at work, then there are a number of ways in which they can claim for compensation. Remember the amount awarded will vary from state to state and it can be difficult for the average person to know their legal rights.
Speaking to a professional injury lawyer can make a big difference to any injury claim.
As a parent, their safety is one of those things they think about when their teen is going for their first job, and slip-ups tend to happen at inopportune times. That’s why you’re right on briefing the teen about minimizing their risks whilst at work.
I remembered back in the days when my buddy and I went for a summer job (because, both of us doesn’t like asking our own parents for money), our parents briefed us about workplace accidents and how to keep safe. Luckily, nothing dangerous happened to us, other than some part-timer landing hard on concrete.