Youngsters (students with a part-time job and trainees)

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the employer’s obligations when employing youngsters (students with a part-time job and trainees)?
Are youngsters (students with a part-time job and trainees) entitled to carry out dangerous work (for example driving a fork-lift truck)?

What are the employer’s obligations when employing youngsters (students with a part-time job and trainees)?
The employer is obliged to analyse the risks the youngsters are exposed to during their work. The employer shall welcome the youngsters and take measures for their safety. There are certain activities which youngsters are not allowed to carry out.

The employer shall take all required prevention measures to protect the youngsters:

prohibition to carry out risky activities;
welcoming them and organising the exchange of information;
organising the health surveillance by the prevention consultant/occupational physician.

Are youngsters (students with a part-time job and trainees) entitled to carry out dangerous work (for example driving a fork-lift truck)?
In principle, it is prohibited to let youngsters do dangerous work:

work that is physically or psychologically too heavy;
work whereby youngsters are exposed to toxic or carcinogenic substances, substances causing hereditary genetic changes, or substances which might have harmful consequences during the pregnancy.
work with possible exposure to ionising radiation;
work with an increased risk for accidents;
work with exposure to extreme cold or heat, noise or vibrations.

The prohibition applies to work exposing the employee to certain substances (agents):

physical agents (for example ionising radiation, work in overpressure);
biological agents (for example hepatitis and tetanus);
chemical agents (for example lead, mercury, benzene, fluorine …)
carcinogenic agents.

Moreover, youngsters are prohibited from driving motorised transport equipment. There are some exceptions for certain non-stacking motorised transport equipment with a limited lifting height. The case arising, the employer shall take the following safety measures.

The transport equipment must automatically return in the neutral position when the driver is not reacting.
The transport equipment should be provided with automatic brakes.

However, under certain circumstances youngsters are allowed to do dangerous work providing their branch of study corresponds with dangerous work.
These special conditions are:

The employer shall ascertain that all prevention measures are efficient and that these prevention measures are checked by the hierarchy.
The professional activities are carried out in the presence of an experienced employer.
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Here you can download the personal medical questionnaire student worker

For any further information, please contact your prevention consultant-occupational physician or your regional IDEWE-IBEVE secretariat.