Youth advocates are calling for action as the number of young Yukoners being hurt on the job accounts for nearly a quarter of all workplace injuries.

Rachel Parks, Bringing Youth Towards Equality's executive director, said this morning she is very concerned to learn that the number of injured youth, from teenagers to 24, is among the highest of any age group in the territory.

'It's devastating,' Parks said of the number of injuries reported by the Yukon Workers Compensation Health and Safety Board (WCB).

'I think we need to actively educate young workers,' Parks said, adding that she feels workplace safety education in Yukon schools needs to be looked at.

Parks said she would like to see the territory look at programs being undertaken in other jurisdictions to see if the problem can be solved.

In 2004, according to the WCB, there were 159 young people under the age of 15 injured at work (14 per cent of all injuries) and 127 (11 per cent of all injuries) between 15 and 24 hurt.

In 2005, there were 133 people (11.4 per cent) under the age of 15 injured and 155 workers (13 per cent) between 15 and 24 years old who were hurt.

The total injury rates for all age groups, according to the WCB, for 2004 were 1,128 and 1,165 for 2005.

Compensation payments to all injured workers, according to the WCB, were $19,543,000 in 2004 and $21,253,000 in 2005.

Injury rates for 2006, according to the WCB, are rising but are not yet available.

About 10 per cent of the territory's labour force have experienced a workplace injury in recent years, WCB reports.

WCB spokesperson Mark Hill said this morning his organization recognizes the numbers of young people being injured in the workplace as a problem.

'Young people are paying an (excessive) price for the lack of workplace safety,' he said.

Hill said young workers require proper training which includes showing workers what to do, demonstrating proper safety procedures and then keeping an eye on them to ensure they understand safety procedures by the way they work.

'That's what's required with any new worker, but it's really required with young people,' he said.

'There's no bad guys here; nobody wants to see anyone get hurt. But what it takes just isn't being done.

'Training is not the same as teaching,' Hill said.

Young workers, including the increasing number of youth in the retail sector, Hill added, may not know their rights.

'Parents (also) have a role. You can't just drop you child off at work and assume they're being looked after,' he said.

The number of young people injured, Hill added, is largely happening in part-time or seasonal employment situations.

Kurt Dieckmann, the WCB's director of occupational health and safety, said this morning he feels there needs to be change in social attitudes in workplace safety if younger and older workers alike are to avoid injury.

'The problem is injury in the workplace is still socially acceptable,' he said. 'People still think that injury at work is still part of the job.'

He said he finds it difficult to accept that the public becomes outraged at someone being killed by a drunk driver but do not appear to be upset at someone being killed at work.

'People being killed at work is just as bad as being killed by a drunk driver,' he said.

Young workers in particular, Dieckmann added, needed training and supervision.

'They don't have the life experience to recognize hazards,' he said.

Rick Karp, president of the Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce, said he agrees that injury rates in the territory are a problem and that injury rates for young people are concerning.

'Obviously, most of the young people are still in entry level jobs,' he said.

'Usually, entry level jobs are in the service industry.'

Karp said while many businesses such as franchises do have safety and injury prevention programs in place, the territory as a whole is not taking workplace safety seriously enough.

'Ethically and morally, workers, including employers, need to be safe.'

Karp said his organization has recognized the problem and is teaming up with the Northern Safety Network Yukon to address it.

He said the Northern Safety Network Yukon, along with the chamber, are offering safety assessments to small- and medium-sized businesses in the territory free of charge.

Richard Zral, the network's safety prevention officer, said he is willing to go to any business owner who wants his expertise to perform a safety inspection.

'(Businesses) need to have written safety programs in place. We can help them with that program.'

'Everyone should have safe work practices.'

Zral said any businesses interested in taking advantage of his services can call him at 334-9725 or at richard@yukonsafety.com.