SafeYouth@Work Project: Building a Generation of Safe and Healthy Workers

The US Department of Labor-funded SafeYouth@Work project aims to promote the occupational safety and health (OSH) of young workers, with a focus on those aged 15 to 24.

Every day, approximately 7,600 people die from occupational accidents or diseases and some one million people are injured on the job. Younger workers suffer the highest rate of work-related injuries, due to: lack of awareness of safety rules and worker rights; limited job skills and work experience; lack of training in job tasks, hazard prevention or avoiding exposure to harmful agents; long working hours and unsuitable job assignments.

The ILO SafeYouth@Work project aims to promote the occupational safety and health (OSH) of young workers, with a focus on those aged 15 to 24. SafeYouth@Work operates at a national systems level to build a sustainable and prevention-focused OSH culture. The US Department of Labor-funded project is a cornerstone of the ILO’s OSH Global Action for Prevention (OSH GAP) Flagship Programme and is based on improved performance in four strategic areas:

1. OSH Data and Information including reporting of occupational accidents and diseases
2. OSH Law and Policy 
3. OSH Capacity
4. OSH Knowledge and Awareness

Key Achievements:
  • The project team has developed a global strategy which can be adapted to each country’s national context. Comprehensive national scopes of work are being implemented in Myanmar, Viet Nam and the Philippines.
  • A comprehensive monitoring and evaluation plan has been established to document and illustrate project benchmarks.
  •  Successful launch of first-ever SafeYouth@Work Congress in parallel to 2017 World Congress on Safety and Health at Work, connecting global OSH for Youth advocates with OSH experts and decision makers.

  • Debut SafeYouth@Work Media Competition launched in 2017 showcasing global youth voices on what safety and health means to them - more than 130 entries from some 20 countries.
   News
See the new ILO InfoStory on young worker safety and health!

Resources

U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA - Young Workers Resource Web Page, EU OSHA - Young People and Safety and Health at Work