Double the Fines for Young Worker Safety

I'm sure you've seen a sign like this as you approach a road crew - a warning sign reinforcing the seriousness of driving too fast through a construction zone.

Why such a big jump in the penalty - doubling the fines? Because you could be endangering the lives of those young women and men wearing the hard hats and safety vests while they improve your roads, that's why!

Everyone seems to accept the doubling of fines in these high-risk circumstances when it comes to road crew safety... so why don't we apply the same principle to workplace safety in general?

The State of North Carolina has done just that - with a law that just took effect Dec. 1st, 2009, passed in a 114-to-1 vote -  and is aimed specifically at young workers. It enforces:

• A $500 fine instead of $250 for first-time violators of workplace safety regulations
• $1,000 instead of $500 for subsequent violations
• Up to $14,000 - instead of up to $7,000 - if a young person is hurt at work

Horrifically, a 2006 study of 16- and 17-year old construction workers in NC found that more than 80 percent of the young workers performed tasks that were clearly prohibited!

I applaud the state of North Carolina for toughening up the penalties against employers who don't take the safety and health of young workers seriously enough. The need is supported by appalling statistics: More than 400 younger workers are hurt every day on the job in the US. In Canada, there are more than 300 workers aged 15 to 24 who were reported injured each day in 2007.

Younger Workers Need Extra Support

I am especially pleased by NC's recognition that young worker safety requires stronger legislative support than for older workers. Although there are existing laws - in Canada, too - that protect everyone's right to refuse unsafe work, most adults agree that the young worker is at a complete disadvantage through inexperience when refusing unsafe work.

Let's face facts: A teenager doesn't always have the confidence to stand up to a much-older boss and say "No, I won't do that task. I don't feel safe." (Not to mention the whole macho culture suggesting that "safety is for sissies" that seems pervasive in many industries.)

Every company president and union leader that I've talked to in the last year agrees that young workers need stronger support in Canada, too. More than 100,000 young Canadians are hurt each year on the job - a shameful record. We can do better to protect our future workforce.

With the continued success of doubling fines for speeding in construction zones, there seems little doubt that the same idea in young worker safety would have an immediate, positive impact: bringing more awareness to the issue, and hopefully staunching the blood flow of young workers.

Additional revenues generated by the doubled fines could be put towards training. apprenticeships, and technical programs at the college level and in workplaces. Cooperative programs in high schools and colleges would also be a great benefactor of this protective legislation. It's win- win for all Canadians.

Nova Scotia Law Not Focused Enough

New legislation in Nova Scotia has increased occupational health and safety violations fines - now starting at $100 for employees, $250 for supervisors and $500 for employers, professionals like architects and engineers when they are acting as project managers.

I think it is a mistake that Nova Scotian legislators have made no distinction of age or experience for the workers.

 Consider this blog post a call to action to legislators and industry leaders across Canada: You need to play catch-up with the North Carolina law that doubles fines for workplace safety and health violations involving young workers.

If you slow down when you see those "double fines" signs by road crews, you've seen the power of tougher financial penalty in action. Let's use it to keep Canadian youth from being cut, burned, broken - or even killed - on the job.