Know Your Rights: In The Workplace

Protection against harm and exploitation

If you’re under 18 and working, you have legal rights that protect you from being put in harm’s way. The law gives you the right to:

Protection from exploitation: The work you do should be fair and legal
Protection from hazardous work: You should not be asked to do tasks that could be harmful to your health
Protection and support: The law should support your survival and development (UNCRC Articles 19, 32, 36)

Special rules for young workers

In the UK, there are laws giving special protection to young people in the workplace because of your lack of experience or awareness of risk.

Child (Under 16): If you are under the minimum school leaving age
Young Person (16–18): If you are 16 or 17 years old

If you fall into these groups, your employer must take extra care. They must not allow you to do work that:

Is beyond your physical or psychological capacity
Exposes you to harmful substances or radiation
Puts you at risk that you are not experienced or trained to deal with
Exposes you to extreme cold, heat, noise, or vibration

Training exception: If any of these tasks are absolutely necessary for your training, you must be properly supervised and all risks must be reduced to the lowest reasonably possible level.

Understanding your contract

If you are employed, you have a ‘contract of employment.’ Even if it’s not fully written down, the law implies a few important duties:

Employer’s duty: Your employer has a duty of care to take reasonable care of your health and safety
Your duty: You have a duty to obey reasonable instructions

What to check:

Check your contract: Know exactly what you were employed to do. Your employer cannot just require you to do something completely different
Reasonable Instructions: If an instruction puts your health or safety at risk, it is not considered reasonable and you have the right to question it