. Indoor Safety | Safety | Middle Years | A Parent or Caregiver | Manitoba Parent Zone

Your Teen's First Job - Staying Safe at Work

Getting a first job can be a very exciting event for your teen! A first job is an important milestone, and it can also come along with other benefits: spending money, a sense of responsibility, and often, lots of positive feedback from friends and family. As well, having a job often means increased independence, which most teens crave. Safety on the job might not be the first thing on your teen's mind.

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Even if your teen doesn't realize it yet, workplace safety is a concern for young people. Did you know that over 15% of workplace injuries happen to young people? Each year, over 5000 young workers aged 15-24 report injuries to WCB. In fact, every nine seconds, a young worker is injured on the job in Canada.

It is important for teens to understand their rights and responsibilities at work, but, as new employees, they may be eager to impress their supervisors and colleagues. Being accepted is often important to teens, so they might not want to ask questions for fear of the reactions they could get. As well, teens often feel invincible, and might feel that bad things can't or won't happen to them. This is why it is important for parents to be well informed about workplace safety, and to talk about safety at work with their teens.

Fortunately, there are lots of resources for parents and teens so that they can learn more about safety at work. Check out these links for more information.