Hazards

Doh, the hazards are the same as for adults except one has to presume kids not compitent / experienced, mature or responsible enough to exercise sufficient restraint to anticipate their actions may potential harm or injure themselves or others.

You will also find that the premises will be inspected and/or risk assessed by all those referring kids or young people to you including local authoritises, Fire & Rescue, Fe Colleges, PRU's, YOT, Probation Services, SS, Jobcentre Plus, etc. etc.

Your biggest hurdle will be not only "Child Protection" policies depending whether you are using 'teachers' of 'vocational' instructors / mentors for practical workshops from associated industries ?

If running generic 'school type classroom' delivery with 'school teachers' you will need to consider mitigative and protective strategies for those who have experienced aversion therapy at school who will, in high probability, be functionally illiterate suffer low self-esteem and have learned to habitually kick-off if feel threatened in terms of being asked to write things down or perceivably kept captive and or get bored.

Sooo, you will also need a "Child Protection for Grown-Up's" policy in the design and usage of the facilaties limiting 'out of sight' areas and ensuring staff are never left on their own to be potentially accused of abuse of one kind or another...............

Protective factors in terms of mission statement will be to foster and promote "Positive regard for all" and make sure your applicant "risk assessment" and induction scheme includes assessment of basic skills i.e. literacy & a simple health screening, a basic visual and hearing test.

Up to 80% of NEET's attending or referred to training will have missed out and/or, as they say, "slipped through the school system" of health screening that has, in any case, made parents and children responsible for their own health from innoculation to recognising visual and hearing acuity problems.

From our experience 60% of our young offenders as vocational students were enabled to "self-modify their behaviours" and not only participate in formal learning but go on to full or part time FE or employment or enter day release type apprenticeships once enabled to "access text" on a par with their more academic peers with a reading rate above 140 words per minute.

If, you accept and recognise the biggest threat to actively participating in learning for those who were perceivably systemically failed is "performance anxiety" due to being made to feel stupid and inadiquate simply because they were unable to read fluently then, you will be a very successful training org.

If you need any help with a range of assessment tools (Functional / Dyslexia etc) and/or "accessability" relating to Digital Literacy etc. happy to assist.

S.M.A.R.T. Foundation

Hi Chris,
I would go along with mitch's idea, Although lydia's seem's well versed in H&S
it does look a bit daunting when read. I wuold strongly suggest that you contact your local HSE office. they will be more than happy to assist you.

Kind Regards Eric H&S rep

• Employers to give full training on equipment.
• Regular visual checks. Employees to be aware of hazards using electrical equipment.
• Staff instructed to report any defective machinery.
• Regular breaks.
• Portable appliances to be examined & tested.
• Photocopiers located in well-ventilated areas
• All workstations are assessed in line with legislation and have adjustable chairs etc.
• Assess workstation layout to minimise soft tissue injuries.
• Adjust workstation to fit operator
• Designated First Aiders on site
• Appropriate signage of First Aid station
• Control measures to eliminate young person from work involving: violence, aggression, and stressful decisions.
• Sufficient rest periods.
• Avoid or limited repetitive or forceful movements or awkward postures.

Hi Chris

Hope the following helps!

In carrying out the risk assessment, the following must be taken into account:
• The inexperience, lack of awareness of risks and immaturity of young persons
• The fitting-out and layout of the workplace and the workstation
• The nature, degree and duration of exposure to physical, biological and chemical agents
• The form, 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
• Risks from agents, processes and work listed in the Annex to the European Directive on the protection of young people at work, which is contained in "Young People at Work".

. Prohibitions


No young persons should be tasked with work which:

a) Is beyond their physical or psychological capacity; or
b) Involves harmful exposure to agents which are toxic, carcinogenic, cause heritable genetic damage or harm to the unborn child, or which in any other way chronically affect human health; or
c) Involves harmful exposure to radiation; or
d) Involves a risk of accidents which it may reasonably be assumed cannot be recognised or avoided by young persons owing to their insufficient attention to safety or lack of experience or training; or
e) Presents a risk to health from extreme cold or heat, noise or vibration
Except where it is necessary for their training and a competent person supervises them, and the risk has been reduced to the lowest level reasonably practicable.

Lydia Johnson

Hi Chris if you visit the hse.gov website you will be able to get ample information on this and build a tailor made Risk Assessment, I have recently completed this for a work experience student.

Hi, Can anyone please give me examples of some of the major hazards in a) Office environment and b) Training Centre for young people (age 16 -19) and how the hazards can be controlled.
Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

Many thanks