Take your Daughter to Work day, which takes place next month (25 April) is a great opportunity to strengthen the relationship between school and work, helping children to understand the relevance of what they study. While the experience is generally positive for both parent, student and host organisation, many facilities and health and safety professionals and insurance firms shudder at the prospect of children in the workplace.
But according to a 2010 poll from FM World magazine, the majority of FMs do allow children into their workplace. But with many recalling the case of toddler Ben McCreath who squeezed between glass panelling and feel to his death in the atrium of his mother’s law firm, tight supervision of the child at all times is a must. And Ben is far from being an unusual case. Half a million children are injured, and around 10 die every year at workplaces, including offices, construction sites and agricultural premises, according to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.
But some employers have a more relaxed attitude to bringing children at work. Take Colonel Latifa Nabizada, Afghanistan’s only female helicopter pilot. She takes her five-year-old daughter Malalai with her when she flies to some of the most dangerous parts of the country. They have flown more than 300 missions together over the past few years. Not to gain flying experience – but because the air force doesn’t have a child care facility and she can’t find anyone to look after the pre-schooler.
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