Strategic engagement : hearing the voice of young workers in the development of the Youth Work Health and Safety Strategy for South Australia

Background: Young workers (aged 12-25) represent 40% of Australia’s casual workforce and 92% of young workers are also students. Work and study, combined with multiple other time pressures, contribute to negative health and safety outcomes for young workers. Young workers are more likely to be precariously employed, less likely to report incidents, accidents and injuries and may have poorly developed self-advocacy skills. These features make young workers a vulnerable part of the workforce. Aim: This research aimed to include the voice of young workers and other stakeholders in the development of a strategy for action for South Australia. Methods: engagement: hearing the voice of young workers in the development of the youth work health and safety strategy. We used a mixed methods approach that included a combination of quantitative methods (online survey of young workers’ WHS knowledge) and qualitative methods (interviews, focus groups, online survey of young workers’ stories, program analysis, future inquiry workshop). We relied on snowballing and a strong social media presence to reach young workers so that we could include their voice in the research. We also heard from key stakeholders, the social partners, to canvass their opinions and ideas. We used statistics and thematic analysis to determine our findings. Results: We identified eight areas for action: the psychosocial working environment; the physical working environment; precarious work and work/life balance; fatigue; training and education of young workers; training and education of employers; the need to hear the voice of young workers; and the obstacles faced by employers. We organized these into four key strategic actions: health and well-being; education, training and skill development; engagement and participation; and better connections. Conclusion: The Strategy for Youth Work Health and Safety for South Australia was adopted by the regulator and State government and launched in November 2013. It provides a road map for collaborative change in South Australia that will potentially lead to significant improvements in youth WHS and will help achieve the goal of healthy, safe, fair and productive lives for young workers in South Australia.