NACOSH releases draft injury and illness prevention document

Washington – Newly released draft guidance from an OSHA advisory committee recommends that staffing firms and host employers implement a safety and health program describing the responsibilities of both entities to protect temporary workers.

The document, released at the Dec. 2 meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health, says staffing agencies and host employers should share their injury and illness prevention programs with one another and create a process to coordinate responsibilities.

The document offers several recommendations to staffing agencies and host employers regarding safety and health programs. Among them:

• Provide equal protection between temporary and permanent employers.
• Provide temporary workers with timely access to safety and health information.
• Create a written contract establishing each entity’s responsibilities and procedures for communication with one another.

The draft document is the result of several months of work by a NACOSH subcommittee. The full committee approved the draft at the Dec. 2 meeting and said it intends to send a final version to OSHA shortly.