WORKCOVER NSW says April is Young Workers Month, in which it is focusing on a number of workplace safety initiatives for young workers.
The centrepiece of the initiatives is an online and interactive workplace health and safety tutorial, which young workers can use to test and improve on their OHS knowledge.
According to WorkCover NSW, its website has a specially designed Safety Zone, which includes interactive examples of typical workplace scenarios young people are likely to encounter.
These scenarios include handling awkward or heavy objects, operating machinery, using chemicals, being exposed to noise or working at heights. By working their way through them, young workers can learn how to handle potentially hazardous situations.
The website also has real life case studies of such situations which resulted in injury or death in the workplace.
The workplace safety authority has also developed Young Workers Fact Sheets, which include detailed information on personal protective equipment, alcohol and drugs in the workplace, working at heights, workplace bullying and violence in the workplace.
WorkCover NSW will be launching a new online learning tool later in 2009. Called ‘Hazard A Guess’, it will assist employers and educators to meet their OHS training obligations.
WorkCover NSW says its statistics show young people have a 75% increased chance of getting hurt at work than older workers due to their lack of workplace experience.
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