Protect Your Temporary Workers This Holiday Season

The holidays are often a busy time for companies, requiring extra workers. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reminds companies they have the same responsibilities in protecting temporary holiday employees as they do in protecting their full-time workers.

OSHA recommends that companies providing temporary staff, such as building services contractors (BSCs), along with the host employer both include their specific responsibilities in the work contract. Temporary workers must undergo the same safety training as regular employees, especially since they may not be as familiar with hazards of the jobs.

Follow these guidelines from OSHA to ensure your holiday help avoids injuries:

• Stress communication between the staffing agency or BSC and the host to ensure that the necessary worker protections are provided.
  
  
• Staffing agencies have a duty to inquire into the conditions of their workers’ assigned workplaces. Ignorance of hazards is not an excuse.
  
  
• The staffing agency also has a duty to inquire and verify that the host has fulfilled its responsibilities for a safe workplace.
  
  
• Host employers must treat temporary workers like any other workers in terms of training and safety and health protections.