Youth

Young and new workers ages 14-24 make up a significant part of our workforce. Almost one-third of high school students work while attending school full-time. Many will continue to work in the service and hospitality industries while participating in post-secondary education programs. Too often, a young person’s first work experiences are not as rewarding as they should be.

  • New workers have a higher rate of injury – especially during the first six months of a job. (Source: CCOHS – The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety)

  • Each year in Saskatchewan, approximately 3,200 youth under the age of 25 are injured on the job, and an average of two die from a workplace incident. (Source: WCB 2021 Annual Report – Page 47)

  • Mental illness interferes with the ability to complete physical job tasks about 20% of the time and reduces cognitive performance about 35% of the time and this increases the chance for workplace injury.  (Source: Centre for Disease Control)

  • Young people aged 15-24 are more likely to experience mental illness than any other age group. (Source: Your Mental Health Canada)

Workplace injuries CAN be prevented with the proper safety training and education and a mindset supporting a positive safety culture. At Service Hospitality, we believe that in trying to build a positive safety culture, there is no better place to start than with our province’s youth and young workers. We have several programs, including elementary classroom presentations, virtual high-school courses, our yearly flagship Youth Safety Education Day events and more, aimed at helping young workers develop positive safety habits early in their careers. Find out more below: 

Youth Safety Education Day

Service Hospitality’s flagship event, Youth Safety Education Day (YSED), occurs on September 10th. The purpose of this day is to provide meaningful safety education, leadership and awareness to youth across Saskatchewan and beyond (up to the age of 25). Gaining this valuable information before youth take their first step into the workplace or while currently employed in their first jobs is a key step in injury prevention. Each year’s event and activities reach over 75,000 Saskatchewan youth through in-person and virtual events & partnership initiatives. 

Find out more about Youth Safety Education Day here!

Youth Safety Presentations


By reinforcing positive safety behaviours, at a young age and throughout a child’s educational career, we can create safety champions in our next generation of workers! Service Hospitality offers four curriculum-aligned elementary school presentations that are fun and interactive for students, and include resources and follow-up activities for teachers to continue engaging with their classroom. 

Click to visit our Youth Safety Presentations page!

Safety in Schools Partnership

In partnership with the Safety in Schools Foundation, Service Hospitality offers FREE online, industry-recognized and curriculum-aligned safety courses to high schools students. An easy-to-use online platform makes it simple for teachers and school administrators to manage student assignments and progress. Courses include WHMIS 2015, Hazard Recognition, Your Mental Health & Well-Being, and more! 

Click to visit our Safety in Schools page!

Does your organization or school want to integrate youth safety training into your programs or classroom? Our Safety Advisors are experts on young worker safety and are available to assist you! Consultation, follow-up assistance or custom presentations are available to fit your needs. 

Click to contact a Safety Advisor today!

Take a flip through our Education for Future Workers Brochure.
Your Key Resource for Youth Safety!


Download Education for Future Workers Brochure (PDF 377KB)