Young people encouraged to speak up on safety

Speak Up, Stay Safe is a new campaign from the British Safety Council which is asking young people to take responsibility for their own health and safety. Julie Nerney, chief executive says: "Every 40 minutes in the UK a young person is seriously injured in the workplace. We think this position is wholly unacceptable. By highlighting to young people that they need to be aware of their environment and speak up if they feel unsafe we hope to reduce this number." The campaign supports young people to feel confident talking to their work supervisor, parent, teacher or friends if they feel they are in an unsafe situation. No young person should feel pressurised to work in an environment where there is a risk of injury or death.

The British Safety Council is promoting the campaign directly to young people through facebook, twitter and YouTube. Specialist tips and advice will be provided through resources, case studies and animation.

In January 2004, Steven Burke was killed on a work placement when he fell more than 50ft from dangerous scaffolding. He felt unsafe in the days leading up to his death but trusted his employer to look after his safety. The BSC wants young people who could find themselves in a similar situation to Steven to Speak Up, Stay Safe.