Work Safety

I am 15 now which means I’m going to get a job very soon. What I didn’t realize until we started this unit was that working is dangerous and many, many people have been injured at work. Young workers are commonly injured on the job because they are not taught how to properly do their job. In this unit we learned how to be work safely and what to do if you don’t feel safe. We also learned about different ways young workers are commonly injured and how to prevent them. 

The first thing we did was fill out a quiz about working. I have never had a job so I got to skip over half of the quiz because they were job related questions. Here is the quiz and my answers. 

It is important to make sure you are doing your job correctly and that you got the training required to do your job. If you did not get the proper trading you could be putting yourself and others in danger. Make sure you discuss with your supervisor the safety precautions of your job and that you follow them because it is very easy to get injured if you aren’t doing your job correctly. 
After that I watched a video called “Lost Youth”. It is a video telling the stories of how a few different youth were injured while working and how it has effected their life. They talk about how the injury could have been prevented and why it happened in the first place. Most of the injuries happened because the person was not properly trained how to do their job. Everyone needs to be taught how to do their job by a supervisor or an experienced employee and if you are not taught how to do something then ask someone to teach you before you do it. Warning: This video contains graphic scenes and language that may be offensive to some. Viewer discretion is advised.

After watching “Lost Youth” I got to pick a video from a Young and New Workers Playlist on YouTube. I picked one on young workers at playland. The video explained what training new workers had to go through and all of the precautions they take to keep everyone safe. It showed things that all workplaces should be doing to make sure their employees are safe such as give the proper training and always have a supervisor near by. 

All workplaces are governed by the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation which is the legal safety requirements that all workplaces must follow in order to keep their employees safe. Their are many regulations that must be followed, and it is important to know these so you don’t get injured in the job. I had to do an activity where I got to look up the differnt regulations to help me learn them. Here is the activity. 

If you are doing something in your job that you feel might break one of these regulations or something you just feel is too dangerous for you, you have the right to refuse to do it. If you do refuse it you have to tell your supervisor so they know what’s going on and they can help resolve the situation. 

Workplace hazards are common and aren’t as easy to notice as you might think. Most workplaces have a lot going on at the same time and it is easy to lose focus and not notice something very dangerous. It is important to keep your eyes open for hazards to make sure you and your fellow employees don’t get hurt. There are lots of things that are dangerous even if they don’t really seem like it. There are five main types of hazards. You should know the hazards so you can report one if you see one. 

The first is Exposure to Biological Hazrards. Those are things such as different diseases and viruses. A good way to prevent getting one of those is to make sure your workplace is sanitary at all times. The second type of hazard is Enviromental Exposure such as heat, cold, and the sun. You have to be careful to not be in the sun for too long, and don’t get too hot or too cold. The third type of hazard is Exposure to Mineral and Chemical hazards. Those are things such as asbestos, dust, cleaning supplies and many more. It is important to not consume any of those things and to wash them off of your skin if they are on it. The fourth type of hazard is Musculoskeletal Injruies (MSI’s). You can get an MSI by staring yourself on the job by doing something such as lifting a heavy box improperly. The final type of hazard Noise Hazards. If it is too loud in your workplace it can’t be dangerous you could slowly lose your hearing overtime. It is Important to know these hazards so everyone can be safe while working. 

Lastly I had to create a visual to show what I learned about workplace safety. I got a picture of a work space and filled it with many hazards to show just how dangerous a workplace can be if you aren’t careful. I chose to do a kitchen because a lot of people’s first jobs involving working in kitchen like environments such as coffee shops or restaurants. 

There are many dangerous things in this picture such as an unattended pot over boiling, water on the floor that could cause you to slip, and a cord on the ground that you could trip on. There is also an explosive aerosol can near the hot fryer and the employee has her headphones in so she can’t hear, and her hairs is down which is unsanitary and dangerous because it could catch on fire on the stove. Now you can see how dangerous even little things can be and that it is important to do your job correctly and safely. If you have any questions about job safety go to WorkSafeBC.com for more information.