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As parents, we want our teens to get a good job, learn the value of work and make a little extra cash. But we also want them to be safe. Saying “be careful!” as they walk out the door each day isn’t going to protect them from harm. But teaching them their rights and how to exercise them absolutely will.
When Misty Pratt was 16, she was shoved and screamed at by a fellow employee (the nephew of the owner) at a small independent grocery store in Scarborough, Ontario. “I went to the owners and complained,” says Pratt, now an Ottawa-based communications professional. “Nothing was officially done about it….the guy continued to work there.”
What Pratt didn’t know was that she had the right to refuse to continue working with that person. She could not be fired, punished or otherwise treated unfairly. Legally, Ontario workers have the right to refuse unsafe work until it becomes safe — and that applies to working with unsafe people.
What is the right to refuse?
One of the most important rights Ontario workers have is the right to refuse unsafe work. If your kid knows they can legally refuse unsafe work, without being fired or punished, they’re going to feel a lot more comfortable trusting their gut when they see something that doesn’t feel right or is unsafe.
Unfortunately, teens continuing to work in an unsafe environment is all too common. Many young workers are unsure of what their rights actually are at work, which can lead to coping with unsafe working conditions. They're new to the working world and need to know how to stand up for their health and safety rights.
They might also not think about how dangerous the work environment is until they look back at it as an adult. That’s what happened to Alex (who does not want their full name used) who worked at a pool company as a teenager and was told to transport and use toxic chemicals to treat pools without any safety training.
When is work considered unsafe?
Teaching our kids to recognize when work is unsafe is a crucial part of the work refusal process. Some examples of unsafe work include:
- not having training
- working with dangerous or damaged equipment
- using machines without guards (these are the first line of defence to protect workers from being injured)
- working for a business with no workplace violence and harassment safety policy
- when your kid has a general feeling that something doesn’t seem safe
All of this (and more) should be brought up to a supervisor so they can work through the process together
Why young workers might not speak up
There are many reasons a teen might not speak up regarding their health and safety on the job. For example, they want (or need) the money, or they're worried they will fall out of favour with their employer. They are afraid of what will happen when they speak up or they feel embarrassed they need to ask. In Pratt’s case, after being assaulted at the grocery store, she was put in the unsafe position of having to work with her assailant (when officially exercising her right to refuse could have protected her). In Alex’s case, dealing with pool chemicals, she didn’t know until much later that the work she was being asked to do was unsafe. Had she known (through discussions about what unsafe work looks like) she could have followed the process for refusing unsafe work.
What parents can do to keep their child safe at work
When teenage workers know their rights, they can stand up for themselves—and do so with confidence knowing their employer is legally required to provide a safe workplace.
The best thing we can do as parents is educate our kids. Hearing stories—like Pratt’s and Alex’s—about unsafe work can turn an abstract concept about safety into a real-life scenario. Ask your family members to share their own stories with your kid about unsafe working conditions they experienced, and examples of what legal recourse would look like in each situation.
If they know what unsafe work looks like and how to refuse it, they can avoid physical or mental injury and illness—and that’s what we really want when we say “be careful” each day as they make their way into the world.