Young Persons at Work
Any person that works and is under the age of 18 is
considered a young person and as such protected by UK health
and safety legislation. An employer who employs or intends to
employ a young person under the age of 18 is required by the
Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations
1999 (Regulation 3(5)) to take account of various
specified factors.
Such factors could include, inexperience, lack of awareness of
risk, immaturity and features of the workplace, or methods of
working that may have a particular effect upon them. The statutory
risk assessment may necessitate prohibiting the young person from
certain work activities, except under close control.
Parents of school age children that are on work experience
programmes must be provided with information about risks and
control measures.
Children below the Minimum School Leaving Age (MSLA) must not be
employed in industrial undertakings such as factories, construction
sites etc except when on work experience schemes approved by
the local authority, or the governing body of an independent
school.
Children under 13 years of age are generally prohibited from any
form of employment and Perth & Kinross Council have byelaws on
the types of work, and hours of work, children aged between 13
years and the MSLA can do. However, children below these age limits
may be licensed to take part in performances. The licence must be
issued by the local authority for all children below the MSLA,
taking account of their fitness and arrangements for their health,
kind treatment and education as appropriate to their age. For
advice on children employed or employers intending to employ
children under the MSLA please contact Education and Children
Services on 01738 476211 or e-mail ecsschools@pkc.gov.uk.
Anyone who works with children whether in the workplace, in leisure
or cultural pursuits, the voluntary sector or the transporting of
children may need to be vetted and so contact should be made
with Tayside Police or if in the volountary sector or sports,
contact should be made with the governing body. Disclosure Scotland
and Protecting Vulnerable Groups websites are also worth visiting
for background information. Links to those webpages are located in
the external links menu on the right of this page.
