Are You Providing Adequate Safety Training to Temporary Workers?

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is taking steps to address a spate of fatalities among temporary workers and others who are new to their jobs. A memo to regional administrators directs field inspectors to assess whether employers that use temporary workers are complying with their duty under the law.

OSHA inspectors will use a new code in their information database to identify situations in which temporary workers are exposed to safety and health violations. They will also assess whether these workers received training in a language they could understand. OSHA is working with the American Staffing Association and employers that use staffing agencies to promote best practices.

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The big problem, according to OSHA, is that employers fail to provide safety training to temporary workers. Or, if instruction is given, it does not adequately address a hazard that could contribute to a fatality. One of the most egregious cases was that of a 21-year-old temporary employee who died on his first day on the job at a bottling plant in Jacksonville, Florida, in 2012.

The young man was crushed to death by a palletizer machine. OSHA issued two willful citations, claiming that the beverage company failed to train temporary workers on using lockout/tagout procedures to prevent accidental machine start-ups. At the time of the accident, OSHA Administrator Dr. David Michaels commented, "A worker’s first day at work shouldn’t be his last day on earth." He emphasized that employers are responsible for ensuring safe working conditions and for training all employees, including temporary workers.

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To reiterate: While temp companies often provide general safety training to employees, your company should decide up-front who will be providing job-specific safety training. Whether you provide that training to temps or not, be sure the quality is something you can stand by and stick to that policy.

Why It Matters

• According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), there are approximately 2.5 million temporary or contingent workers in the United States each year.
• According to the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), in one recent year, contractors accounted for 12% of workplace fatalities that were reported.
• Safety training for these workers is as critical as it is for permanent workers.