Strategic engagement : including youth in the development of the Youth Work Health and Safety Strategy for South Australia

Young workers represent 40% of Australia’s casual workforce and 92% of young workers are also students. Work and study, combined with multiple other time pressures, contributes 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 youth a vulnerable part of the workforce. We describe research that framed an overarching Strategy for Youth Work Health and Safety for South Australia designed to lead to healthy, safe, fair and productive working lives for young workers.