Tuesday, September 2, 2014

OSHA & NIOSH Release Best Practices For Protecting Temporary Workers

©iStockphoto.com/Tashatuvango
OSHA and NIOSH have published recommended practices for staffing agencies and host employers to optimally protect temporary workers on the job.

The publication focuses on ensuring that temporary workers receive the same training and protection that existing workers receive. Suggestions include contracts that clearly define a temporary worker's tasks and the safety and health responsibilities of each employer, as well as continual contact between staffing agencies and temporary workers to ensure that the host employer fulfills its responsibilities.

Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels announced the publication at the Voluntary Protection Programs Participants' Association annual conference in National Harbor, MD.

"An employer's commitment to the safety of temporary workers should not mirror these workers' temporary status," Michaels says. "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."