A SURVEY OF PARK VIEW EDUCATION CENTRE STUDENTS WHO WORK IN PART TIME JOBS

1. A SURVEY OF PARK VIEW EDUCATION CENTRE STUDENTS WHO WORK IN PART TIME JOBS

2. PVEC STUDENT POPULATION… 869 STUDENTS 454 COMPLETED RESPONSES 250 STUDENTS WORKING PART TIME

4. Miscellaneous work included… • Office • Call centre • Nursing home • Mover “Agriculture” included landscaping, tree sheering and planting etc.

5. The survey… 10 Questions… • Worker information- • What job • What training • What PPE Multiple choice safety knowledge ?’s Write - in comments describing unsafe work situations

6. Our findings…

7. The context… 5 Most Dangerous Jobs for Teens (NCL study, 2005) • Agriculture • Construction, work at heights • Landscaping, lawns • Forklift / tractor drivers • Traveling youth crews

8. The context… 3 Categories from PVEC survey included in dangerous jobs list: agriculture, construction, building supply (forklift, heights)

9. Training Provided For Various Jobs… Red bar indicates NO training…

11. Building Supplies

14. Grocery

19. What we’ve learned… Rights awareness - very limited understanding Training that is available is not always tracked Most students don’t know what they don’t know

20. High percentage of students working in “dangerous” sectors with NO training WHMIS most common safety instruction

21. Write in comments about unsafe conditions… Q. Was there ever a time when you felt unsafe at work? Explain. “All the time. I work alone and we’re not trained for an emergency / robbery.” Fast food worker

22. “Only when working on a steep slant.” Mover

23. “Propane leak - no one told us what to do.” Prep cook - restaurant

24. “I was working in Electronics and 2 laptops were stolen and a really sketchy man kept hanging around” Retail

25. “Someone came to replace the helium tank and nobody told us whether that was safe and what we were supposed to do.” Retail

26. “Stock boxes were piled too high in the back and I was afraid they were going to fall. Eventually somebody moved them.” Retail

27. “Yes. We sometimes get some rowdy drunks.” Fast food

28. “Yes, lifting the deep fryer or going across the room - slippery floors!” Fast food

29. “Yes, I burned my hand and had to be rushed to the hospital.” Fast food

30. “Yes. When I was carrying heavy objects down the stairs and fell.” Restaurant

31. “Yes an old guy wouldn’t leave the department - it was really creepy.” Retail

32. “I was threatened while working at [Christmas tree yard].” Agriculture

33. What we’re doing at PVEC… School -wide campaign to see that every student receives Passport to Safety

34. PVEC administration will make this or an equivalent resource a mandatory part of a compulsory Grade 10 course (Communications Technology) in subsequent years

35. Future plans at PVEC… Convene a forum of local employers - for input and to make suggestions Lobby employers to give preferred hiring status to students with Passport to Safety training or equivalent when hiring

36. Findings from student “focus group”

37. The Employers… 1 major grocery chain 1 theatre chain 2 fast food restaurant 2 gas stations 1 manufacturing facility (airplane parts) 1 major department store 1 small bakery 1 large drugstore chain 1 restaurant 1 small clothing retailer

38. Productivity and Safety… (not always a good match) Speed and crowded workspace identified as problematic

39. Workplace design and safety Several recognized workspace design as problematic (stairs, high shelves, crowded work area)

40. Student observations about employer motivation to provide training Customer safety focus or common perception of industry as dangerous = more overall safety focus

41. Fire Safety Only gas station and theatre workers could identify fire procedures

42. Training provided • Major grocery chain Food Handler’s, job specific • Theatre chain - job specific, WHMIS - full day • Fast food restaurant - some job specific, • WHMIS video (student 1) student 2 - job specific • Manufacturing facility (airplane parts) - full day, • Job specific • Gas station - (student 1) WHMIS, first aid, • propane handling, safe drop cash (student 2 - • very basic job specific

43. Training provided, cont. • Major department store - WHMIS, some job specific • Small bakery - informal job specific • Large drugstore chain -some job specific after • student began working • Restaurant - Food Handler’s, some job specific • Small clothing retailer - none

44. Hazard Identification and Training Most students could identify major hazards but felt insufficiently trained to deal with these hazards (or aspects of these hazards)

45. Rights and Procedures None could identify rights; one knew where to report to re: safety concerns

46. Use of PPE All who used it believed it was “recommended” but not required

47. Worker Satisfaction and Safety No apparent correlation between amount of safety training and perception of safe work environment

48. Observations, Recommendations, Conclusions • Students should document safety information while speaking with employer if this is not provided in writing by employer • Employers should be encouraged to provide written information whenever possible • Students do not see “job specific” training as safety training - safety training should be isolated from other training or CLEARLY brought to young worker’s attention

49. Observations, cont. • Students view safety as “common sense” - some view training as patronizing • Looking at legal frameworks early in training may make students more receptive to other safety messages (OHS)

50. Observations, cont. • CLEARLY explain to students how distractions such as productivity demands affect safety • Establishing HABITUAL safety practices will help protect young workers