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The Employment Rights Act introduces major reforms to UK employment law, with changes being implemented in stages from December 2025 through to 2027.

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Don't let your first job be your last

Issue date

11 Aug 2006

Don't let your first job be your last

Nearly 4,500 young people were seriously injured or killed at work last year, over 20 per cent more than five years ago, according to a new report fromTUC. The report marked the launch of a TUC campaign to protect young people at work. One person aged under 25 dies every month in a workplace accident, while thousands more are forced to take at least three days off after being hurt or injured, according to the study. 'Too young to die,' published in the TUC-backed Hazards magazine, is warning 16-24 year old workers to make sure they don't become one of the young workers seriously injured at work every 40 minutes in the UK or killed at a rate of one every month. The report says that despite stricter health and safety rules for the youngest workers, 16-24 year olds are at risk because their employers fail to take account of their lack of workplace experience and training. The number of 'fatal and major injuries' are at a 10-year high, and have risen year on year for the last five years, the report says. TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: 'No young person should die or be seriously injured this summer because their employer failed to take simple steps to ensure their safety. And no young person's first job should be their last.' This summer the Local Government Association (LGA) is backing the TUC's 'don't make this your last summer - work safe' message as councils across the country are taking measures to ensure young people are employed safely including spot-checks on employers and local awareness campaigns. Cllr James Kempton, vice chair of the LGA's Children and Young People Board, said: 'Councils want young people to work safely and legally over the summer. Employers who flout the law, and parents who turn a blind eye to them doing so, need to understand that authorities are willing to take a firm stance on this issue.' The report calls on employers to conduct detailed risk assessments before young workers start a job and to provide good quality training, information and supervision.

TUC news release. The Guardian. BBC Scotland. BBC News Online.
Too young to die, Hazards magazine.

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