Summer is an exciting time for young people with many entering the workforce for the first time. Whether it’s working at a retail store, restaurant, camp, or construction site, these first jobs are more than just a pay cheque, they’re a chance to build experience, confidence, and responsibility.
But there’s a critical responsibility on the part of employers; keeping young workers safe.
According to the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, young and new workers are at the highest risk of injury during their first month on the job. That’s why workplace safety training is essential!
Here’s how employers can protect young workers and meet their legal responsibilities under Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA).
Young workers (aged 14–24) are statistically more likely to be injured on the job due to:
According to OHSA, employers must provide information, instruction, and supervision to keep workers safe. This means giving clear direction, offering mentorship, and ensuring that no worker is assigned unsafe tasks.
Before starting any job, all workers in Ontario must complete mandatory health and safety awareness training. This includes:
At EmpowerLearn.ca, we offer affordable and accessible online training programs designed for small and medium businesses. Our training is self-paced, mobile-friendly, and written in plain language so that even first-time workers can understand the material easily.
💡 FREE: EmpowerLearn.ca offers a free Workplace Harassment and Violence Policy Template—perfect for businesses hiring summer staff.
Supervision is more than just checking in. New workers should have someone they can turn to with questions or concerns. Ideally, a supervisor or mentor trained in workplace safety.
Make sure this person:
This helps young workers feel comfortable speaking up if something feels unsafe.
Never assume a young worker knows what’s safe or what isn’t. Make job expectations and safety procedures clear:
Every worker in Ontario has three fundamental rights under OHSA:
Young workers may feel too intimidated to speak up, so it’s critical to reinforce these rights and let them know that they’re protected by law.
Young workers need to know what to do in an emergency:
It’s not enough to check the training boxes—safety must be part of your workplace culture.
Ask your team to:
At Empower Learning Solutions, we help organizations build safer workplaces with online training that meets Ontario’s legal requirements.
Young workers are the future of our workforce. Investing in their safety is not just the law, it’s the right thing to do.
If your business is welcoming summer staff this year, start with the basics:
✅ Provide legally required training
✅ Set clear safety expectations
✅ Supervise and support
✅ Use EmpowerLearn.ca to simplify the process
Let’s help young workers thrive in safe, supportive environments—this summer and beyond.
Need help getting started?
Visit https://empowerlearn.ca for affordable, easy-to-use training solutions that keep your business compliant and your workers safe.
To remove users from your group, follow these instructions:
Under the Enrolled users section, locate the user(s) you want to remove from the list.
Select the checkbox next to each user’s name. A Remove user(s) button will appear above the list.
Select Remove user(s) and follow the prompts.
To remove group leaders from your group follow these instructions:
Under the Group leaders section, locate the user(s) you want to remove from the list.
Select the checkbox next to each user’s name. A Remove group leader(s) button will appear above the list.
Select Remove group leader(s) and follow the prompts.
To view every nitty gritty detail kind of reports follow these instructions:
Select the Incredibly Detailed Report link in the welcome message or use this link here.
More instructions are available on that page.
To view simple, at a glance, reports, follow these instructions:
Under the Enrolled Users section, select the Reports drop-down menu button.
Select Course or Progress from the list.
What’s the difference?
Course: Search by a specific course to see who has completed that course.
Progress: Search by a specific employee to see which courses they have already completed.
Follow the on-screen instructions based on the report you select.
Under the Group leaders section, select the Add group leader button.
Complete the mandatory fields in the pop up and select the Add group leader button.
Existing users can become Group Leaders – When adding a group leader use their existing email address and they will be upgraded.
Additional group leaders can add and remove users and access your team’s online course completion reports. They will not have the ability to change your subscription or billing information.
You can use this method to add up to the remaining seats in your account. This is a advanced method for group leaders who are comfortable editing .csv files. We strongly recommend you read the full instructions before attempting this method.
Download the sample .csv file
In a text editor or a program like MSExcel:
Open the same file on your computer.
Complete the .csv file with the first and last names and email addresses of everyone you want to invite. Enter a temporary password or leave blank if you want us to generate one for you.
When done, save your .csv file.
IMPORTANT: When saving in MSExcel, a warning may appear—Some features in your workbook might be lost if you save it as a CSV (Comma delimited) file. Do you want to keep using this format? YES, you want to keep this format! Make sure you save your file as a .csv NOT .xlsx.
Return to the pop up window, select your saved .csv file and select Choose File.
In the pop up window, select either Add and invite user or Send enrollment key.
If you select Send enrollment key, you can also select Suppress emails. You can give the enrollment key to the employee offline. The employee can use a different email address with that access key. It will update in your dashboard. Otherwise, all instructions and links are included in the employee’s invitation email.
Select the Add users button.
You can review the upload and click Done to return to your dashboard.
You will see the users added and their corresponding enrollment keys.
If any users were added in error, you can select the checkbox next to their name and select the Remove button.
What’s the difference?
Add and invite user: Sends the employee an email with a password that you’ve chosen or a random one we’ve generated (if you leave the password field blank). They take up a seat in your group, and their status is set to Not Started.
Send enrollment key: Sends a special code for the employee to self-register on our website. They take up a seat in your group, and their status is set to Not Enrolled.
Under the Enrolled users section, select the Users drop down menu button.
Select Add multiple from the list.
In the form that appears on the page, complete the first and last names and email addresses of everyone you want to invite.
Enter a temporary password or leave blank if you want us to generate one for you.
When you are done entering, scroll to the bottom of the list and select the Add & invite users button.
All instructions and links are included in the employee’s invitation email.
Did you know? Business owners in Canada are legally required required to have a Workplace Harassment and Violence Policy.
We make it easy! Download a FREE template to create your Workplace Harassment and Violence Policy today!
Under the Enrolled users section, select the Users drop down menu button.
Select Add one from the list.
In the pop up window, select either Add and invite user or Send enrollment key.
Complete the mandatory fields in the pop up and select the Add user button.
All instructions and links are included in the employee’s invitation email.
What’s the difference?
Add and invite user: Sends the employee an email with a password that you’ve chosen or a random one we’ve generated (if you leave the password field blank). They take up a seat in your group, and their status is set to Not Started.
Send enrollment key: Sends a special code for the employee to self-register on our website. They take up a seat in your group, and their status is set to Not Enrolled.