Section 27

Guidance for Departments Employing Children and Young Persons on Work Experience Placements

Introduction

1. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations require the University, amongst other things, to assess the risks to the health and safety of any young persons it employs and this document gives guidance on how to do this. Further information is contained in a guidance booklet produced by the Health and Safety Executive entitled "Young People at Work - A Guide for Employers"¹. This is available for consultation in the Safety Office if required.

Definitions

2. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations distinguish between "child" and "young person" as follows:

"child" means a person who has not reached the minimum school leaving age, MSLA (16 years)

"young person" means a person who has not reached the age of 18 years.

Special Considerations Applying to Children and Young Persons at Work

3. Young workers are regarded as being particularly at risk because of their possible lack of awareness of existing or potential risks, immaturity and inexperience. Thus children under 13 years old are generally prohibited from any form of employment, whilst children between 13 and the minimum school leaving age (MSLA) are prohibited from being employed in industrial undertakings, service industries, etc., except when on work experience schemes approved by the local education authority.

4. Where University departments offer work experience placements to children under MSLA, the Health and Safety (Training for Employment) Regulations have the effect of designating those children as employees for the purposes of health and safety legislation. Departments are then required to provide them with at least the same health, safety and welfare protection which is given to the existing staff.

5. As a result, Heads of Departments must make suitable arrangements to assess risks to young persons under 18 years old before they start work, which will include taking into account their inexperience, lack of awareness of existing or potential risks, and immaturity.

6. In particular, the following factors must be taken into account:

• the layout of the workplace or workstation
• the range and use of work equipment and the way in which it is handled
• the organisation of processes and activities
• the extent of the health and safety training provided, or to be provided, to the young persons concerned.

Assessing the Risks

7. Section 17 of the Manual of Safety sets out the University's policy on risk assessment and describes the procedure for carrying out such assessments. At paragraph 2.5, there are two important points noted, firstly:

"the aim is to identify the significant risks in the workplace. Trivial risks can be ignored"

and secondly

" all groups of persons...must be considered...together with those who may be particularly at risk, e.g. young or inexperienced workers...".

It must be remembered that what might be considered a trivial risk to an experienced, mature employee familiar with his or her workplace, may well become a significant risk to a young inexperienced person on a work experience placement during the first few days of a completely different daily environment.

8. Section 17 of the Manual of Safety gives an example of a risk assessment record sheet and it is recommended that this be used as a basis for recording the significant risks that the young person may be exposed to during his or her work. Appendix 1 of this document shows a suitably modified form which may be adopted for the purpose The record should be kept with the other documentation relating to the placement and a copy given to the young person.

9. Persons on work experience placement will be carrying out "office"-type activities in various departments and the number of significant risks to be assessed will normally be minimal. However, some placements occasionally take place in departments which do have significant risks to safety or health, for example, in laboratories, workshops or the service departments. The Health and Safety Executive booklet "Young People at Work - A Guide for Employers"¹ lists those work activities in which young persons must not be employed if significant risks to their health and safety have been identified and cannot be avoided. These prohibited activities are summarised in Appendix 2. In addition, some departments have placements which involve fieldwork and in these cases the CVCP document "Code of Practice for Safety in Fieldwork" must be consulted. (see Manual of Safety Section 21 ).

Provision of Information to Persons on Work Experience Placement

10. Persons on work experience placement must be given information to enable them to work safely and to know what action to take in case of an emergency. It is recommended that such information be written down clearly and concisely since the young persons will generally be employed for short periods in unfamiliar surroundings. Appendix 3 gives an example of a form which may be used for the purpose. If necessary it can be tailored to fit in with any other documentation concerning the placement but the information shown in Appendix 3 must be included.

Provision of Information to Parents

11. There is a legal requirement to let the parents of young workers under MSLA know the key findings of the risk assessment and any control measures taken before that person takes up employment on the placement. Although there is no requirement to provide this information in writing, it would seem sensible to do so. It is suggested, therefore, that Appendices 1 (the written risk assessment, if it has proved necessary to produce one) and 3 (the safety information for the person on the placement) be forwarded to the parents as a means of satisfying this requirement.

Notification of Placements for Insurance Purposes

12. The placement supervisor (or other appropriate person within the employing department) must notify the Resources Department (Strategic Purchasing) in order for the University's Employer's Liability insurance cover to be extended to the person on placement. The form for doing so can be found at

http://www.lancs.ac.uk/depts/purchase/local/insurance/workexpstudents.xls

¹ HSE booklet HS(G)165, ISBN 0 7176 1285 6