Boy, 16, banned from using vacuum cleaner or hot water under health and safety rules

Karl Walker was told by a cleaning firm that he is not old enough to use hot water, washing up liquid and furniture polish or to empty bins.

The AS-level student and a friend were hired by Apollo Cleaning and worked in offices in Chippenham, Wiltshire, for a week until a regional manager ordered them to stop. The firm says it is following government guidelines by insisting on safety clearance.

At 16, Karl is old enough to join the Army and fire a gun, play the lottery, have sex legally and get married, but the firm said he required special permission to use cleaning equipment, including vacuum cleaners.


Graphic from here.

Karl, who is studying for four AS levels, said: "I just don't understand what is going on. How can I be too young to use a vacuum cleaner? It is so stupid. I want to earn a living."

His mother Susan, 47, said: "My son is legally old enough to get married or join the Army yet these people think he is too young to be able to hoover up. The entire situation is a joke."

Paul Lundy, boss of London-based Apollo Cleaning, said: "When an employee is only 16 we have to be very careful with the tasks we set them as their bodies are not yet fully formed."