Activities

Safe Start

The Health and Safety Executive worked in partnership with the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Learning and Skills Council (LSC), EEF, the Manufacturers' Organisation to promote the Safe Start campaign.

Wiseup2work

IOSH ran a national competition, SpeakUp, for 14-19 year olds. Individuals or teams of up to four people were invited to design an advertising campaign that tells teenagers how and why they should speak up at work if they don’t feel safe. They also launched a website - which contains jargon-free interactive exercises and games, a chat forum, lesson plans, worksheets, real life stories, case studies and more to help teachers bring health and safety alive for their students. The IOSH promotional flyer contains more information.

• IOSH promotional flyer

Basic Hazard Awareness Course

HSE also worked with IOSH and the British Safety Council to provide a Basic Hazard Awareness Course (BHAC) together with a suitable qualification. This course is available for teachers to use in schools to raise hazard awareness in 14-year-old pupils prior to them going on work experience. The course was previewed at IOSH's European Week launch event in November 2006 and was launched in February 2007.

Work Experience

HSE and LSC worked together to provide updated guidance on work experience, which will be available as a web-based publication. LSC also ran a Be Safe Quiz through their website, which was launched at the Association of Colleges event in June. In addition there  were events during European Week in all nine LSC regions, including a competition run by Stockport College and a road safety campaign run by the South West division of LSC, and with the National Employer Service. More information about these  are available on the Safe Learner website.

Safety Representatives

The TUC produced a leaflet for safety representatives [PDF] to ensure that they are aware of the issues relating to young workers and take action to reduce the risks.  They are also involved in a training module and webpages.

Interactive Website

EEF will be launching an interactive website and leaflet. The website will provide information for the manufacturing sector with regards to work experience children.

College Champion Health and Safety Award

The Association of Colleges (AoC) College Champion Award reflects the European Week 2006 Safe Start campaign. The award recognises a college that has made an outstanding and innovative contribution to ensure that young people make a safe start in their working life. Their website gives further details on the winners.

Protecting Young Backs

BackCare, the charity for healthier backs, ran a campaign called "Protecting Young Backs" to raise awareness within schools to the risks of serious back problems among young people. According to BackCare, back pain affects up to 30% of adolescents with about 8% suffering from chronic or recurrent conditions. As part of their campaign, they ran a school’s education initiative, "Watch Your Back Week" during BackCare Awareness Week, which took place from 16th - 22nd October 2006. BackCare is supplying School Packs with fun, educational materials for activities designed to raise young people’s awareness of back health and safety issues.

• Find out more about Protecting young Backs Campaign.

European Week Action Packs

For further ideas and information there are European Week Action Packs containing campaign materials, including HSE and European Agency leaflets and factsheets on young people, employers and educational guidance, posters and stickers .

You can download the Action Pack materials.

If you or your organisation would like to be active in the Safe Start campaign and conduct activities during European Week, you are eligible to sign the Safe Start Charter and to have your efforts recognised by means of a certificate of recognition. Please visit the European Agency’s website for further details.