Scope note
Age definitions, restrictions on particular tasks for young people, minimum ages for specific work, and supervision requirements are set by the law in your jurisdiction, and employment law as well as health and safety law may apply. This template does not state ages or task prohibitions, because they differ. Record the requirements that apply to you below, confirmed with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and your employment law source.
The risk is not only about age. A fifty-year-old in their first week on unfamiliar plant carries much of the same exposure, so use this assessment for any new or inexperienced worker.
Worker and role
Why the first weeks are the risk
- Does not yet recognise hazards that experienced workers see automatically
- Does not know what normal looks like, so cannot tell when something is wrong
- Reluctant to ask questions or admit they do not understand
- Reluctant to refuse an unsafe task or to challenge a more senior worker
- Eager to impress, and may take shortcuts or work beyond their capability
- May not know what they are not allowed to do
- Unfamiliar with the site layout, alarms and emergency arrangements
- May not know how to report a hazard or an injury, or that they should
Task review and restrictions
Go through the actual tasks. Mark each as permitted, permitted under direct supervision, or not permitted yet, and set what has to happen before the status changes.
- High-risk tasks identified and excluded until competence is demonstrated
- Plant and machinery operation restricted until trained, and licensed where required
- Work at height, confined space and hot work excluded unless specifically trained and permitted
- Hazardous chemical handling restricted, with reproductive and developmental hazards specifically considered
- Lone work excluded during the initial period
- Night and late shift work considered against the risk and any legal restriction
- Driving for work reviewed against licence status and experience
- Cash handling and closing alone reviewed against robbery and aggression risk
| Task | Status | Supervision required | Training or licence needed first | Review date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Induction and training
- Induction completed before starting work, not during the first shift
- Site tour including exits, assembly point, first aid and amenities
- Emergency procedures explained, including how to call 999 and the site address
- Hazards specific to their tasks explained, with the reason and not just the rule
- Demonstration then supervised practice then assessment, rather than a verbal briefing alone
- Told explicitly what they must not do, and that this is normal rather than a lack of trust
- Told explicitly that they can stop and ask at any time, and that asking is expected
- Told how to report a hazard, a near miss or an injury, and that there is no penalty for it
- Understanding checked by asking them to explain it back, not by asking if they understood
- Training and competence recorded
Supervision plan
Set the level explicitly and the date it will be reviewed, so supervision is withdrawn by decision rather than by drift.
| Period | Supervision level | Who supervises | What must be demonstrated to progress |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Direct, within sight and hearing | ||
| Weeks 2 to 4 | |||
| Months 2 to 3 | |||
| Ongoing |
Check-ins
Scheduled check-ins catch what a young worker will not volunteer. Ask specific questions rather than whether everything is fine.
| Date | What they found difficult | Anything they were asked to do that worried them | Hazards they noticed | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| End of first day | ||||
| End of first week | ||||
| End of first month | ||||
| Three months |