Submitted to the
Castlegar News
Tomorrow the Alive After Five program will be at Stanley Humphries Secondary speaking to students about staying safe at work and knowing your rights.
“Studies show that young workers are 40 per cent more likely to get hurt on the job. It is not because they are inattentive or risk takers, but simply because they lack experience and training,” said Layne Clark, a facilitator with the Alive After Five program.
The presentation covers employer and employee responsibilities in the workplace, types of workplace health and safety hazards and, perhaps most importantly, workers basic health and safety rights, including the right to refuse unsafe work.
“What’s really unique about our program is that it’s peer to peer, meaning it’s delivered by young workers to young workers. Our facilitators bring unique perspectives, personal stories and humour to their presentation making it both interactive and interesting for students” said Clark.
With the support of teachers and schools province-wide, the program has engaged with more than 150,000 students since it started ten years ago.
“Reaching out to high school students is extremely important, many of them are just starting in their first job,” said Clark. “The goal of the program is to leave them with important information about their rights and the confidence to ask questions about workplace safety.”
Alive After Five is one of five outreach programs of the BC Federation of Labour’s occupational health and safety centre, which provides accessible health and safety education across BC.