Young Persons at Work: Risk Assessment Requirements for UK Employers
Employing young people — whether as apprentices, school leavers, work experience placements, or part-time workers — brings specific legal duties around health and safety that many employers either do not know about or do not properly discharge.
The risk assessment requirements for young workers are more extensive than those for adult employees. They exist because young people are statistically more likely to be injured at work — not because they are less capable, but because they have less experience of workplace hazards, may be less likely to speak up when something seems unsafe, and are still developing physically and psychologically.
This guide explains who counts as a young person under UK law, what the risk assessment requirements are, which tasks are restricted or prohibited, and how to document your compliance.
Who is a young person under UK law?
Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (MHSWR), a young person is anyone under the age of 18. A child is anyone below the minimum school leaving age.
The additional duties for young workers apply across the full range of ages — a 16-year-old apprentice, a 17-year-old school leaver, and a work experience student aged 15 all fall within the definition. The employer's obligations are the same regardless of whether the young person is employed, on an apprenticeship, on a placement, or on work experience.
The legal duty: what Regulation 19 requires
Regulation 19 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 sets out the specific duties for employers taking on young persons. Before a young person starts work, the employer must:
Carry out a risk assessment that specifically considers the young person's inexperience, lack of awareness of existing or potential risks, and immaturity. A standard risk assessment is not sufficient. The assessment must address factors specific to young workers, not just the general hazards of the task.
Take into account the fitting out and layout of the workplace — whether the physical environment is suitable for a young person, including access, egress, and exposure to hazards.
Consider the nature, degree, and duration of any exposure to physical, biological, and chemical agents — young people are more vulnerable to certain health risks including noise, vibration, chemicals, and radiation.
Consider the form, range, and use of work equipment — whether the young person has the physical capacity, coordination, and strength to use the tools and equipment involved safely.
Consider the organisation of processes and activities — including whether the pace of work, shift patterns, or the working environment create risks specific to young people.
Inform the young person's parents or guardians before a child (under school leaving age) starts work or work experience. This duty applies to children only, not to young persons aged 16 or 17.
Prohibited and restricted tasks for young workers
Certain categories of work are either prohibited for young persons or require additional safeguards:
Prohibited for all young persons (under 18):
Work that is objectively beyond their physical or psychological capacity — tasks requiring strength, endurance, or mental processing that young people cannot reasonably be expected to perform safely.
Work involving harmful exposure to substances that are toxic, carcinogenic, or have chronic health effects — including asbestos, lead, silica dust above exposure limits, and many solvents. Young people's developing bodies are more susceptible to long-term health damage from occupational exposure.
Work in extreme heat or cold where thermoregulation may be impaired.
Work involving radiation beyond specified dose limits.
Restricted for young persons (additional controls required):
Work at height — young persons can work at height, but the risk assessment must specifically address their inexperience and ensure adequate supervision and physical capability.
Work with power tools and machinery — the risk assessment must address whether the young person has been adequately trained and whether they have the physical capability to use the equipment safely.
Night work — young workers are generally prohibited from working between 10pm and 6am (or 11pm and 7am in some circumstances). There are exceptions for certain industries and where a young person over 15 is completing a recognised training programme.
Lone working — young persons should not generally be left to work unsupervised, particularly in the early stages of their employment. The risk assessment should specify the supervision requirements.
Apprentices and work experience placements
Young people on formal apprenticeships and work experience placements have the same legal protection as employed young workers. The employer — or host employer for work experience students — has the same Regulation 19 duty regardless of whether the young person is being paid.
For work experience students, the school or college placing the student should carry out a preliminary assessment of the workplace before the placement begins. But this does not transfer the host employer's legal obligations. The employer remains responsible for the young person's health and safety while they are on their premises.
In practice, this means:
- A site induction before work begins
- A young persons risk assessment completed before they start
- Adequate supervision at all times, particularly for any hazardous tasks
- Clear instruction not to carry out any task they have not been trained for
- A named person responsible for their welfare during the placement
The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) provides guidance for contractors taking on apprentices in construction — including site safety requirements and the documentation that should be in place before an apprentice begins practical on-site work.
What the young persons risk assessment should cover
A compliant young persons risk assessment must go further than a standard task risk assessment. In addition to the standard hazard identification, it should specifically address:
The individual — their age, experience, and maturity. What training have they received? What can they demonstrate competence in? What are they not yet ready to do unsupervised?
Supervision arrangements — who is responsible for supervising them? What level of supervision is required at different stages (close supervision initially, progressing to monitored independence as competence develops)?
Tasks they can and cannot carry out — a clear list of permitted tasks, tasks they can carry out with supervision only, and tasks that are prohibited.
The induction they have received — what site-specific information have they been given? What toolbox talks have they attended?
Review triggers — when will the assessment be reviewed? As a young person develops competence, the risk assessment should be updated to reflect their growing capability.
Download a young persons risk assessment template
SafetyPod provides a professionally drafted, HSE-compliant young persons risk assessment template, written specifically for UK employers with young workers in construction and maintenance.
→ Young Persons Risk Assessment template
For a full library of risk assessments covering all construction activities:
→ Browse all Risk Assessment templates
Written by the SafetyPod team — NEBOSH-qualified H&S professionals with hands-on experience across UK construction, civil engineering, and facilities management. All content is written to current HSE guidance and CDM 2015 compliance.
Last reviewed: June 2026