Do young workers have special protection?

Yes. In December 1999, the Management Regs (The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations) were updated to include new protection for young workers, aged between 16 and 18 years old, including risks to their health and safety arising from their lack of experience or maturity (Regulation 19).

This debars employers from taking on young people for work that:

• Is beyond their 'physical or psychological capacity'.
• Involves harmful exposure to toxins.
• Or, involves risks or exposure to accidents that young people may not recognise, 'owing to their insufficient attention to safety, or lack of experience or training'.

The HSE publish guidance about the need to take extra care over the health and safety of young people on their website.