On Sunday, a teenage employee caused a gas explosion while changing a gas cylinder at a hot-pot restaurant due to lack of proper training. It was yet another incident in the nation’s growing list of serious workplace accidents involving teenagers.
The youth sustained serious burn injuries to his face and body. Some customers were also injured. To make matters worse, as with most cases of workplace injuries involving teenagers, the employer had not applied for labor insurance for the youth.
The employer initially told the boy that he had labor insurance and that the restaurant would compensate him. It was not until the teen’s mother called the Bureau of Labor Insurance that the family found out the employer had lied.
The teen’s parent said that the employer had not given him any training on changing gas cylinders, not to mention teaching him any safety precautions.
Footage shows the young employee squatting down next to the gas cylinder and trying to resolve a problem, even after all the customers had fled the restaurant. It was at this point that the explosion occurred.
Occupational accidents such as this happen to young workers almost every year. There are about 800,000 workers aged 16 to 24 in Taiwan, including 110,000 who are under 20. Sixty percent of the nation’s workers under 20 are in atypical employment, most of whom work in the catering and service sector.
According to Ministry of Labor data, the percentage of occupational accidents involving teenagers in 2015 was higher than those of other age groups, and far higher than the average numbers from developed nations.
Many employers do not apply for labor insurance for their teen workers to save time and money, knowing that the youngsters have little work experience and tend to work short-term.
Likewise, employers often do not provide them with the necessary safety training and facilities. As a result, many teens have been injured at work, with some dying or often left with no compensation.
Why is the government always trying to fix the situation and punish the employer after the fact? Why have labor inspection mechanisms designed to protect teenage workers not changed anything? And why does the situation remain the same after every accident?
The incident is an opportunity for the government to review the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法) — specifically to consider whether to include the catering industry, where gas and hot oil are often present — in the list of potentially dangerous and harmful work.
The government should also consider amending the Act for Protecting Worker From Occupational Accidents (職業災害勞工保護法) to allow teen workers without labor insurance to receive the same compensation and benefits as those who have it. After all, rehabilitation for burn injuries takes considerable efforts and resources.
Furthermore, the government should amend the Worker’s Education Act (勞工教育法) and pass a law requiring employers of underage workers to receive regular training to prevent exploitation.
Finally, the Ministry of Labor should carry out regular inspections targeting workplaces that often hire underage employees. The ministry should have officials responsible for teen worker labor inspections to improve the effectiveness of inspections and reporting channels. Employers who have repeatedly violated labor laws on teen employment should receive more severe punishments and be made public.
To prevent similar accidents from happening again, it is essential that the ministry takes active steps to improve its labor inspections.
Yeh Ta-hua is secretary-general of the Taiwan Alliance for the Advancement of Youth Rights and Welfare.
Translated by Tu Yu-an
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