While I appreciate the information in Dave Duncan's column about the importance of providing a thorough Orientation for young and inexperienced workers I believe he left out a critical element - that of the right to refuse.

In our jurisdiction at least an employer is required to explain the right to refuse. I agree that many young people entering the work force feel invincible, and may feel they have something to prove, so the right to refuse can alert them to the importance of looking for the hazards, and their legal right to refuse situations that could put them in danger. During Orientation our company insists that this is not just a law, but something that we expect them to use if put in a situation that puts them in peril.

Abe Giesbrecht,
Safety Officer
Friesens Corporation

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