OSHA Launches Initiative to Protect Temporary Workers

OSHA today launched an initiative to protect temporary employees from workplace hazards. In a memo to regional administrators, the agency is directing field inspectors to assess whether employers that use temporary workers are complying with their responsibilities under the OSH Act. Inspectors will use a newly created code in their information system to denote when temporary workers are exposed to safety and health violations. Additionally, they will assess whether temporary workers received required training in a language and vocabulary they could understand.

“Thousands of workers who die each year on the job from preventable hazards,” says OSHA Administrator David Michaels. “Many of those killed and injured are temporary workers who often perform the most dangerous jobs have limited English proficiency and are not receiving the training and protective measures required."

OSHA also reports that it is working with American Staffing Association and employers that use staffing agencies to promote best practices ensuring that temporary workers are protected from job hazards.

Last week, BLS released new data from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries about workers killed on the job in 2011. Fatal work injuries involving contractors accounted for 542 (12%) of the 4,693 fatal work injuries reported. Hispanic/Latino contractors accounted for 28% of fatal work injuries among contractors, well above their 16% share of the overall fatal work injury total for the year. Find details on the 2011 data here.