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SAFE Workers of Tomorrow lead student workforce
Much of Manitoba’s student workforce will go through their days with more safety awareness this summer thanks to a school year’s worth of efforts from the SAFE Workers of Tomorrow (SWOT).
The SWOT team gave some 748 presentations during the 2008-09 academic year – and many students will put their valuable lessons to use beginning this week as school lets out.
“We set out to give young workers as much information as we possibly can about what they may face in terms of hazards in the workplace,” says SAFE Workers of Tomorrow Executive Director Ellen Olfert.
Youth in Manitoba account for some 17 per cent of workers and the same percentage of workplace injuries. SWOT is just one strategy used to reduce that number in hopes more students will think about their safety while at work.
The 12-year-old program provides in-class presentations at no cost to the school or school division, equipping students with relevant and accurate information to help keep them safe on the jobsite.
Most speakers involved in the program are volunteers, many of whom deliver industry-specific messages or first-hand knowledge of the horrors of workplace incidents and injuries. Some are even parents whose children were killed at work.
Over the last year they delivered messages that touched on safety tips, prevention plans and practical knowledge that is sometimes forgotten in the excitement of being at work for the first time.
“Knowing what their rights are and having that hazard identification goes a long way towards preparing young people for going into their different workplaces,” says Olfert, whose team will continue to give presentations to various workplaces and community groups through the summer.
SWOT is always looking for more volunteers to add to its bank of speakers and is already planning for the next school year.
Anyone interested in becoming a speaker should contact Ellen Olfert by email or at 204.992.2988.