Two groups of Richmond high school students have been recognized for their videos highlighting workplace safety in B.C.
Richmond Secondary students Bruce Kong, Wilson Fan and Kantaphon Santipong were among four teams to win this year’s 2025 WorkSafeBC student safety video contest.
Angelica Wu, Xiao Lin Wang and Lillian Lee's video, also from Richmond Secondary, earned a top spot in the same contest as well.
Both teams took home awards in the Grade 8 to 10 category, which saw 66 video entries submitted by students across B.C.
The theme of this year's contest is "Show up, speak up for safety," challenging students to explore the hesitation young workers may have about safety when they start a new job and how to overcome it.
Statistics Canada's recent Labour Force Survey showed more than 51 per cent of youth between the ages of 15 and 24 are currently employed.
However, because seasonal hiring could potentially be slower this year, there is a possibility that young workers will face increased workloads, explained WorkSafeBC.
This could lead to fatigue, rushing and a higher risk of injury, especially when doing unfamiliar tasks.
Nearly 7,000 young workers are injured on the job every year in B.C., with about 800 of them serious injuries, according to WorkSafeBC.
Thirty-four young workers have lost their lives due to workplace incidents in the past five years.
The high injury rate for young workers is "driven by young males," with significantly higher injury rates than any other worker, WorkSafeBC added.
“Young workers are highly vulnerable to workplace injuries,” said Angelique Prince, director of Prevention Programs and Services at WorkSafeBC.
“Inexperience, inadequate training and supervision, and unfamiliarity with workplace hazards can all increase the risk of injury — especially when workers don’t feel empowered to ask questions or raise safety concerns.”
To watch the video submissions, click here.
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