MEPs back health and safety campaign

Three MEPs have given their backing to a new campaign designed to reduce the number of accidents and injuries involving young people at work.

The Putting Young Workers First campaign, run by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), calls for, among other things, better vetting and supervision of work experience placements and tighter accident reporting for young workers.

Conservative MEP Chris Heaton-Harris has offered his support to the programme, as have UK Independence Party MEP Derek Clark and Green Party MEP Jean Lambert.

They have all called for more to be done to prevent young people getting hurt or injured at work through education, regulation and improved focus on health and safety.

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Mr Heaton-Harris said: "With 64 under-19s killed in the workplace in the last decade and a further 15,000 suffering major injuries, this is clearly a matter that requires prompt attention."

Figures released by the TUC in 2006 show that 4,000 workers aged 16 to 24 are seriously injured at work every year.