High school students encouraged to become safety conscious

In addition to learning the regular three R's of education (Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic), students throughout Newfoundland and Labrador are learning a new
set of R's: the Right to know, the Right to participate and the Right to refuse unsafe work through a senior high school course known as Workplace Safety 3220.

�This occupational health and safety (OH&S) training program has been available to high schools in the province since 1998,� says Joan Burke, Minister of Human Resources, Labour and Employment and the Minister Responsible for the Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission. �The intent is to increase students� awareness of health and safety on the job, making them less likely to suffer workplace injuries.�

In addition to receiving credit for the course, students who complete Workplace 3220, are issued worker representation OH&S training certificates, which complies with provincial OH&S legislation. �This will go a long way in helping to make them more employable,� adds Minister Burke. �It will also provide employers with increased access to the trained employees they need to meet their legislative requirements for trained worker health and safety representatives. The curriculum has also been updated by the Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission to make it more user-friendly, and to better match the Department of Education�s standards.�

During the 2003-04 school year, some 1,500 students at 36 schools across the province completed the course. It is hoped that this number will increase, and with it the awareness of occupational health and safety among young people.

�Workplace 3220 was a very interesting course � I loved it,� says Megan O�Keefe, 18 of Paradise. Megan O�Keefe, who took the course at Holy Spirit High School applies the health and safety practices she learned, in every area of her life. At her summer job, Megan says OH&S is always uppermost in her mind. �A lot of young people working at part-time or summer jobs don�t always know their rights and responsibilities when it comes to occupational health and safety, and because of this, I would certainly recommend they take the course if it�s offered at their school. I also believe that having the course listed on your resume will be very beneficial to finding a job.�

Workplace Safety 3220 covers a variety of topics such as OH&S legislation, workplace inspections, accident/incident investigations and hazard recognition, evaluation and control.

�Off-the-job safety is also included as part of the course curriculum, as students are provided with information on ATV and water safety, safety in the woods, drugs and sexual harassment,� says Dianne Whalen, Minister of Government Services. �The young people who participate in this course will hopefully develop a positive attitude towards health and safety, and then, when they enter the workforce they will be motivated to practice and enforce safe work procedures and encourage others to do the same.�

Media contact: Jacquelyn Howard, Communications (709) 729-4062, 689-2624

2005 07 20                                      9:40 a.m.