The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recently released recommended practices for staffing agencies and host employers to “better protect temporary workers from hazards on the job.” The new “Recommended Practices” publication highlights the joint responsibility of staffing agencies and employers, to which they send […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recently released recommended practices for staffing agencies and host employers to “better protect temporary workers from hazards on the job.”
The new “Recommended Practices” publication highlights the joint responsibility of staffing agencies and employers, to which they send employees, to ensure temporary workers are provided a safe work environment, according to a news release from the organizations.
“An employer’s commitment to the safety of temporary workers should not mirror these workers’ temporary status,” Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health, said in the release. “Whether temporary or permanent, all workers always have a right to a safe and healthy workplace. Staffing agencies and the host employers are joint employers of temporary workers and both are responsible for providing and maintaining safe working conditions. Our new Recommended Practices publication highlights this joint responsibility.”
Temporary workers are at increased risk of work-related injury and illness, the organizations contend. OSHA says its Temporary Worker Initiative, launched last year, includes outreach, training, and enforcement to ensure that temporary workers are “protected in their workplaces.”
OSHA noted in the release that in recent months, it has “received and investigated many reports of temporary workers suffering serious or fatal injuries, some in their first days on the job.” The Recommended Practices publication focuses on ensuring that temporary workers receive the same training and protection that existing workers receive.
“Recognizing that temporary workers are often new to the workplace to which they are sent, we believe these recommended practices will provide a strong foundation for host employers and staffing agencies to work together to provide a comprehensive program that protects the safety and health of all workers,” Dr. John Howard, director of NIOSH, said in the release.
The new guidance recommends that staff agency/host employer contracts “clearly define the temporary worker’s tasks and the safety and health responsibilities of each employer.” Staffing agencies should maintain contact with temporary workers to verify that the host employer has fulfilled its responsibilities for a safe workplace, the guidance says.
The Recommended Practices publication is available at http://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3735.pdf.