NSC, American Staffing Association release case study on safety of temporary workers

The National Safety Council and the Alexandria, VA-based American Staffing Association recently partnered on a case study that details the safety obligations staffing agencies and host employers have regarding temporary workers.

The fictional case study provides information on protecting temporary workers from on-the-job injuries, as well as on which party is responsible for recording injuries on the OSHA Form 300 injury and illness log.

The case study offers several recommendations, including:

• The staffing company and host employer should determine which party controls workplace activities, conditions and hazards. Once determined, this information should then be included in a written agreement that addresses both parties’ responsibilities.
• The staffing agency and host employer should adopt procedures to ensure proper fulfillment of safety obligations.
• If a host employer or staffing agency learns that a temporary worker has been injured on the job, it should promptly notify the other party. If the injury is fatal or serious enough to warrant hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye, the party that provides day-to-day supervision over the temporary worker – usually the host employer – should promptly notify OSHA.

“The case study illustrates how lack of communication and coordination between a staffing firm and a host employer can adversely impact the well-being of a temporary worker” Amy Harper, director of workplace strategy and the Journey to Safety Excellence initiative at NSC, said in a press release. “Each employer must know and reliably carry out their respective roles in hazard identification, safety training and injury reporting and recording.”