More than 7,000 young workers were injured on the job in BC last year

As a large number of young workers are getting ready to enter the workforce, whether it be for a summer job or new career, WorkSafeBC is reminding them to use caution on the job.

According to WorkSafeBC, they accepted 7,125 claims related to injuries from young workers (ages 16 to 25) in 2021, more than 19 per day.

Those injuries were more likely to occur in service-sector jobs (2,801 claims), followed by retail and wholesale (1,335), and construction (1,258).

“We base our injury reports on what’s actually reported to us,” said Jacqueline Holmes, Prevention Field Services Manager at WorkSafeBC.

“Whether it’s healthcare only, so they maybe got treated by a physician, or it was healthcare and time-loss. So those are the two kinds of injuries that are reported through claim, and those are the ones that we count, being aware that there’s others that may not be reported.”

Holmes said it’s difficult to determine how many workplace injuries go unreported.

“When we think about things like musculoskeletal injuries and sprains and strains, they may crop up later,” Holmes said.

“Someone may not report because they think it may be due to their lifestyle, or the things that they’re doing at home.”

She added some of the most common incidents among young workers are slips, trips, and falls, and sprains and strains.

“In terms of summer coming, there’s a lot of young workers going into their summer jobs, and for some of them for the first time,” Holmes said.

“We really ask that parents sit down with your kids, and talk about safety at the jobsite, and look at the resources that are available.”

“Ask your prospective employer ‘what your onboarding looks like, what does my training look like when I’m coming to this job, because they’ll get a good sense of the safety culture that is happening at the workplace.”

More information on workplace safety for young workers is available on WorkSafeBC’s website.