OSHA launches initiative on temporary workers

Washington – OSHA has launched an initiative to help ensure temporary workers are better protected.

The initiative, which includes enforcement, outreach and training, was announced April 29 in conjunction with Workers Memorial Day (April 28) by agency administrator David Michaels. Michaels noted in a press release that many of the several thousand workers killed on the job each year are temporary workers performing dangerous jobs who have not received appropriate training.

“Workers must be safe, whether they’ve been on the job for one day or for 25 years,” Michaels said.

OSHA defines “temporary workers” as those working under a host employer or staffing agency employment structure.

In a memorandum to the agency’s regional administrators, Thomas Galassi, director of OSHA’s Directorate of Enforcement Programs, outlined the steps inspectors should take when determining if temporary workers are employed at a location and whether employers are complying with requirements to protect those workers.

OSHA also has begun working with the Alexandria, VA-based American Staffing Association to promote best practices, according to the press release.