NIOSH, OSHA release temp-worker guidance document

Washington – Staffing firms and host employers looking to better protect temporary workers from job hazards can now review recommended practices in a guidance document issued Aug. 25 by NIOSH and OSHA.

Among the document’s recommendations:

• Staffing agencies should evaluate host employers’ worksites.
• Staffing agency employees should be trained to recognize safety and health hazards.
• Host employers should provide temporary workers with safety training equivalent to the training permanent employees receive.
• Contracts between staffing agencies and host employers should clearly define temporary workers’ tasks and the employers’ safety and health responsibilities

“Staffing agencies and the host employers are joint employers of temporary workers, and both are responsible for providing and maintaining safe working conditions,” OSHA administrator David Michaels said in a press release. “Our new recommended practices publication highlights this joint responsibility.”

The guidance document is part of the Temporary Worker Initiative OSHA launched last year. The agency has placed an increased emphasis on the temporary workforce because of its growth and a high risk of occupational injuries and illnesses.