You may be thinking that having a young person in your workplace will be a health and safety nightmare, but it isn’t, it’s actually really simple.
Most local authorities have a policy of visiting employers who are new to offering placements. It’s a short pre-placement check and shouldn’t take up too much of your time. This is to ensure you are aware of your responsibilities and gives you an opportunity to ask questions. There is no cost to you for health and safety checks.
You will already carry out necessary health and safety procedures, such as risk assessments, and usually have the appropriate insurance in place – these just need to extend to the young person.
In terms of risk, as part of the young person’s induction, you would talk to them about:
managing risks within the workplace
where they can and can’t go on the premises
your policies and procedures
their responsibility as part of a team.
If you already employ staff then you will have Employer’s Liability Insurance in place, so it’s just a simple call to your insurer to inform them of the work placement. If you don’t already have this insurance, depending on your type of business, you may not need it. The work placement team can help advise you on this.
If you offer a work placement, you’ll be provided with guidelines for safeguarding young people on your premises during the placement, but you can also download the documents below. You can also read more information on the Health and Safety Executive website.