OHS education and safety training of teenage workers in Iceland

Background: We sought to investigate the extent and quality of occupational health and safety (OHS) education and safety training of Icelandic teenagers.

Methods: Mixed methods were used to obtain data. Initially, 12 group and 7 individual interviews with a total of 45 teenagers were conducted. Supplemental qualitative data was collected to corroborate the interviews. Following this, a survey was sent to a sample of 2800 13 to 19-year-olds, randomly selected from Registers Iceland.

Results: The response rate was 48.6% (N = 1339). Severe inadequacy in the quality and quantity of both OHS education and safety training was found. In total, 30% received OHS education at school and 14% obtained safety training at work. OHS education was considered unsystematic, and the safety training low engagement. Participants noted that safety training was especially inadequate in jobs in the retail sector and restaurants.

Conclusions: OHS education needs to be taught systematically within all levels of the Icelandic school system, and authorities should be more active in educating employers on their responsibilities on health and safety at work.