"The time for talk is over,” says Alex Furlong.

The president of the Yukon Federation of Labour says it's time to not only adopt legislation which protects young workers, but to step up enforcement on legislation that is already in place for all workers.

"Time is of the essence,” he said in a statement Friday.

While the Yukon Workers' Compensation Health and Safety Board's code of practice for employers who have young workers is a good first step, he argues, it is simply a guideline that employers can choose to follow, but are not required to.

In 2008, the federation proposed legislation for workers under the age of 18. After discussion in the legislature, it was decided the matter would go through a consultation period.

Furlong argues that time is over, and that while there's been consensus on some issues, it will be impossible to get it on all.

"Waiting to achieve consensus on all issues will cost lives, and everyone will share in that blame,” he said.

"We all have a part to play, and while we support a new code of practice, we are starting to believe that education will have to be achieved through enforcement.”

At the same time as calling for legislation and enforcement around young workers, Furlong believes more has to be done on the enforcement of all Occupational Health and Safety regulations rules.

He questions how many unannounced workplace visits are done by the board each year, and noted stepping that up would likely see more safety precautions being taken at work sites.

Driving by the board's Fourth Avenue building, which shows statistics on injury numbers every day, he said it's evident that enough isn't being done.

Board president Valerie Royle said this morning the code of practice is just the beginning after a lengthy consultation period.

"It is certainly nowhere near where we need to be,” she said.

The code is a list of guidelines to help employers know what's required of them in working with young staffers.

During the consultation period, which included the involvement of the federation, she said, it was evident not all employers were well-informed of the current requirements under the act.

However, with any new legislation requiring the cabinet's approval as well as having to make sure it works with the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the requirements of the Employment Standards Act, it could take some time for new regulations to take effect.

As Royle pointed out, there's been a lengthy consultation period with consensus on some major issues such as the age of workers in different industries. Bringing that into legislation is important for the board, she said.

"It's a priority for us,” she said, noting that much of the work now will focus on making it consistent with other legislation as well as dealing with issues such as how it will apply to young workers who have already been on the job for some time.

As an example, she pointed to a 16-year-old construction worker who may not be able to work in the industry under the proposed new rules, but has a few years of experience already.

There may be a possibility of grandfathering those workers in, Royle said, though that's something that will be dealt with down the road.

She said the board would like to see the new legislation in place by either July 1, 2010 or Jan. 1, 2011.