The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration take the protection of temporary workers very seriously. In 2013, a temp employee suffered a fatal workplace accident at a manufacturing plant. The employee had not been provided proper training by either the plant or the temporary staffing agency.
OSHA and NIOSH have crafted a set of recommendations for temporary employment agencies and host employers. These recommendations are designed to help better ensure a healthy and safe working environment for temporary employees. Some of these suggested practices for host employers and staffing agencies include:
- Conducting an evaluation of the potential employer’s job site. Before a staffing agency takes on a host employer, both the agency and the employer should examine the job site to pinpoint and eliminate any possible hazards a temp employee may encounter.
- Comparing safety standards. If possible, employers and agencies should go over each other’s illness and injury prevention policies. The host employers should ask for information pertaining to a potential temp employee’s certifications and safety training.
- Conducting training and orientation for temporary employees. Safety training is a shared responsibility between host employers and staffing agencies. Training that is given to temp workers should be equal or identical to that given to regular employees who are doing similar or the same work.
At one time or another, many people take on temporary employment. Perhaps it is because the job market is tight and temp jobs are all that are available. Maybe temp work provides a desired flexibility. Regardless of the reasons for taking the assignments, temp workers are entitled to safe working conditions.
If you have been seriously injured because you were not properly trained or were placed in a dangerous situation by a temp agency or a host employer, you may be eligible to make a liability claim for damages. A Texas injury attorney may be able to determine if you are eligible for compensation and what parties may be held liable.