As the school year winds down, many teenagers are starting summer jobs to earn money and gain experience. Businesses benefit from the seasonal influx of young workers across industries such as hospitality, construction, landscaping and retail.

Family businesses will also see many of their own return to the fold. Keeping work close to home can seem like the best way to keep teenagers safe. Parents know their children, and children know the family business.

Yet our recent research with Mariyam Rabbani and Anna Merrifield suggests that family employment does not automatically make work safer. In some cases, working for a parent may make safety conversations less frequent and may be linked to a greater risk of injury.

Early work experiences teach young people what is “normal” on the job, including whether it’s acceptable to refuse unsafe tasks or speak up when something feels wrong. Young workers are also already vulnerable because they are still learning tasks, hazards, expectations and workplace norms.

Research from Ontario’s Workplace Safety Insurance Board shows workers under 25 are four times more likely to be injured in their first month on the job than at any other time.

When family and work........

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