Many employers use students and other young workers to augment their workforces during holiday periods.

If you are one of the thousands of workplaces hiring students, it is vital to give them the training and protective equipment necessary to ensure their on-the-job safety, before they begin.

Each year hundreds of young workers are injured or killed on the job. They are victims of a lack of experience and fundamental safety skills. Keeping young workers safe and alive is a shared responsibility between employers and workers. It is imperative to work together to ensure proper training and information is offered and received. It is vital that young workers are informed and trained in procedural measures (for example, what to do in case of emergency; what is a hazard and how to effectively deal with it). They must also be familiar with their rights and responsibilities on an individual level (for example, job-to-job specifics).

Formal training programs should be in place to thoroughly school young workers on all aspects of safety practices and procedures, inform them of applicable health and safety rules, and familiarise them with specific workplace environments, and proper personal protective equipment and its use.

We must all do our part in the workplace to ensure our own ongoing, personal safety and that of our co-workers. We should provide them with a safe working environment and do our utmost to eliminate exposure to hazards and resultant injuries. Lives will be protected through education, training and thorough communication.

Kent O'Sullivan is a Certified Master Instructor Trainer with The Columbia Compliance Group. Columbia Compliance Group is a safety consulting firm that specialises in offering professional mobile equipment safety training programs & publications throughout North America.