The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recently released a set of best practices to better protect temporary workers on the job. The mission of NIOSH is to develop new knowledge in the field of occupational safety and health and to transfer that knowledge into practice. Before we dive into the latest best practices, let’s define what a temporary worker is. Temporary workers are paid by a staffing company and assigned to a host employer, which can be short and long-term work. Host employers are responsible for protecting the safety and health of all workers, whether they’re temporary or permanent.
As an employer or, in this case, a host employer, you must find every way possible to ensure the safety of your employees. Luckily, NIOSH came up with a list of best practices. They broke the best practices into four sections which include:
- Evaluation
- Contracting
- Training
- Injury
Evaluation
Host employers (HEs) and staffing companies (SCs) must evaluate all aspects of safety and health related to each organization and the jobs temporary workers are being hired to execute. To accomplish this, host employers should take the following steps:
- Conduct a joint risk assessment
- Provide information
- Allow site visits
- Ensure commitment to safety and health
Contracting
The joint structure requires effective communication and a common understanding of the division of responsibilities for safety and health at all required levels within each organization. The responsibilities must be reviewed often and set forth in a written contract between HEs and SCs. The following information needs to be specified clearly in the written contract:
- Job details
- Communication/documentation responsibilities
- Injury and illness reporting, response, and record-keeping responsibilities
- Other aspects of workplace safety and health
Training
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) states that in most cases, the HE is responsible for providing site – and task–specific safety and health training, and the SC is responsible for providing general safety and health awareness training. Safety and health training must be provided for all temporary workers before starting new projects or new jobs/tasks on existing assignments. In addition, these trainings must be in a language your temporary workers understand while also including the following information:
- Approved tasks
- Hazard identification and control
- Personal protective equipment
- OSHA laws
- First aid
- Emergency procedures
- Reporting safety and health incidents and concerns
- Secure site
- Safety and health program participation
Injury And Illness Reporting, Response, And Recordkeeping
Finally, to prevent future incidents from occurring, effective injury and illness reporting, response, and recordkeeping are vital. It’s essential that HEs implement the following:
- Promote injury and illness reporting
- Inform the staffing company
- Report to OSHA
- Conduct joint incident investigations
- Coordinate medical treatment and return to work
- Record on OSHA 300 Log
- Complete staffing company documentation
- Fulfill records request
Partner With GMS To Keep Your Employees Safe
The outlined best practices announced by the NIOSH are just the beginning. You have the information in front of you, but how will you begin to implement them within your business? That’s where GMS comes into play. At GMS, we understand that business owners cannot keep operations running and thriving without a healthy and efficient workforce. Therefore, it’s essential to ensure your employees are given the tools to succeed while also ensuring you have created a culture of safety to minimize any risk their daily activities may carry. We help you take a proactive approach to workplace safety through various services, including:
- Onsite consulting
- Jobsite inspections
- Accident and injury investigations
- Training
- OSHA inspection and citation assistance
Contact our safety experts today to learn more.