The term „young worker” refers to people aged 15-24. This term includes both people who have already finished their education and started work, as well as students undergoing vocational training in enterprises (apprenticeships), students earning extra money in their spare time (holidays, days off, evenings), or people combining paid work with extramural education .

Young workers are a special group among employees, because starting their professional activity, they usually bring modern theoretical knowledge and enthusiasm to work, which results in an innovative approach to solving problems – and only with age do they gain professional experience. This group of employees is also of particular interest due to the highest accident rate at work recorded in it for years. the increased accident rate is the result of many factors, such as lack of professional experience, lack of knowledge about existing or potential threats and methods of preventing them, as well as incomplete physical and mental maturity of young employees, which is conducive to reckless behavior.

The main motive for young people to take up professional work is the economic situation, followed by job satisfaction or the possibility of self-development. It is also important that young people evaluate such aspects of professional work as low, such as the possibility of promotion or compliance with qualifications.

In relation to people aged 19-24, general rules and regulations in force in the country apply, in relation to very young people aged 15-18 (juveniles) separate regulations on safe and hygienic working conditions apply.

Juveniles may be employed on the basis of an employment contract only to perform light work that does not pose a threat to the juvenile’s health, life and psychophysical development. An employer who employs juveniles is obliged to draw up a list of light work for which he can employ them. This list must be approved by an occupational medicine physician and approved by a competent labor inspector. When creating this list, the employer must take into account the working conditions and positions as well as the list of works prohibited to juveniles.

The law protects young people from performing work that:

• are limited only to lifting, moving and transporting loads (also by means of transport),

• impose repetition of movements,

• in the case of girls: they force the transport of loads on two-wheeled handcarts and wheelbarrows.

A juvenile employee may also not work exposed to the harmful effects of chemical factors (e.g. plant protection products, psychotropic drugs, carcinogenic substances), physical factors (e.g. laser radiation, ultraviolet radiation), biological factors (infectious materials) and dusts (e.g. allergenic or mutagenic activity). Due to the risk of accidents, juveniles must not be employed in positions that pose a risk of injury (e.g. in rail transport, in quarries, with inadequate lighting). mental (requiring receiving and processing a large amount of information, making difficult decisions, etc.),

Source: CIOP and PIB materials

Source:https://www.seka.pl/jakie-prace-moga-wykonywac-young-workers/

Projekt otrzymał dofinansowanie z Norwegii poprzez Fundusze Norweskie 2014-2021, w ramach programu „Dialog społeczny – godna praca”.