Safety first at work
While in college, many students aren't concerned with workplace hazards, but a local, student-run organization is telling young people to take safety into their own hands.
Entering its seventh consecutive year of training high school, college and university students, The Student Teaching Program aims to reduce workplace injuries and deaths.
“The goal is to empower students to know their rights,” said student trainer and Fanshawe College broadcasting journalism student, Steve MacDonald. “A lot of young people don't know they can refuse work.”
MacDonald said between 2000 and 2004, 60 people between the ages of 15 and 24 died in Ontario from accidents in the workplace. In 2004 alone there were over 49,000 workplace injury claims, and over a quarter of those injuries resulted in lost time at work.
According to MacDonald, not asking enough questions and lack of experience are the main factors as to why youth are getting injured in the workplace. In fact, only 60 per cent of young workers claim to have no health and safety training within the first week of starting a new job.
“Manufacturing jobs and service jobs, they are the two sectors that have the most injuries,” said MacDonald.
He added that many injuries go unreported because young workers are either not aware of their rights or what steps to take to protect themselves. If an employer fails to report an injury, MacDonald recommends contacting the Ministry of Labour to report the incident.
Although their trainers travel throughout Southwestern Ontario, the majority of their focus in concentrated within the London region, which has become beneficial with the expanding manufacturing sector.
The Student Teaching program started in 2000, when a then 14-year-old Christina Castellini taught two classes of 20 high school students at a national family education camp, since the program has trained 8,800 students in three different courses.
With 10 trainers on staff between the ages of 16 and 22, the program believes peer-to-peer training is the most effective way to get their message across.
“We find peer-to-peer works better because students trust us, they believe us,” Macdonald said as to why the organization uses students to train other students. “It's hard to take information from someone who is not in your shoes.”
The peer-to-peer trainers offer a one-hour course in Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHIMS), a one-hour course on safety awareness and another three-hour certificate course on safety awareness.
The organization is run entirely on donations and many workplaces are taking the initiative to bring in trainers to provide sessions for their new workers. If any young people are interested in learning more about workplace safety visit the Student Teaching Centre online at www.studentteaching.ca or on the 2nd level of the Galleria, next to Western Continuing Education.
Entering its seventh consecutive year of training high school, college and university students, The Student Teaching Program aims to reduce workplace injuries and deaths.
“The goal is to empower students to know their rights,” said student trainer and Fanshawe College broadcasting journalism student, Steve MacDonald. “A lot of young people don't know they can refuse work.”
MacDonald said between 2000 and 2004, 60 people between the ages of 15 and 24 died in Ontario from accidents in the workplace. In 2004 alone there were over 49,000 workplace injury claims, and over a quarter of those injuries resulted in lost time at work.
According to MacDonald, not asking enough questions and lack of experience are the main factors as to why youth are getting injured in the workplace. In fact, only 60 per cent of young workers claim to have no health and safety training within the first week of starting a new job.
“Manufacturing jobs and service jobs, they are the two sectors that have the most injuries,” said MacDonald.
He added that many injuries go unreported because young workers are either not aware of their rights or what steps to take to protect themselves. If an employer fails to report an injury, MacDonald recommends contacting the Ministry of Labour to report the incident.
Although their trainers travel throughout Southwestern Ontario, the majority of their focus in concentrated within the London region, which has become beneficial with the expanding manufacturing sector.
The Student Teaching program started in 2000, when a then 14-year-old Christina Castellini taught two classes of 20 high school students at a national family education camp, since the program has trained 8,800 students in three different courses.
With 10 trainers on staff between the ages of 16 and 22, the program believes peer-to-peer training is the most effective way to get their message across.
“We find peer-to-peer works better because students trust us, they believe us,” Macdonald said as to why the organization uses students to train other students. “It's hard to take information from someone who is not in your shoes.”
The peer-to-peer trainers offer a one-hour course in Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHIMS), a one-hour course on safety awareness and another three-hour certificate course on safety awareness.
The organization is run entirely on donations and many workplaces are taking the initiative to bring in trainers to provide sessions for their new workers. If any young people are interested in learning more about workplace safety visit the Student Teaching Centre online at www.studentteaching.ca or on the 2nd level of the Galleria, next to Western Continuing Education.
