The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has signed an alliance with the American Staffing Association in an effort to protect temporary employees from workplace injuries. Temporary employees are often not given the same training as permanent employees and as such are at greater risk of injury. This alliance will mean a greater focus will be placed upon the safety of temporary employees.

“We want to make sure that at the end of every work shift, all temporary workers in the United States are able to go home safely to their families,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels. “Through this alliance with the ASA, we will increase outreach to staffing agencies and host employers and provide information and education that is vital to protecting temporary workers.”

So if you employee temporary employees, it is important to be up to date on all regulations relating to temporary employees and to be sure you have a sufficient training program in place for these employees. If you are not confident in your temporary employee training, it is time to review it and update it; if you wait until an incident occurs, it will be too late.

If you would like to have your temporary employee training reviewed, please contact us and we will discuss strategies to improve workplace safety for these employees. And if you have anything to add about the consequences of the alliance between OSHA and the American Staffing Association, please leave a comment.