OSHA has launched an initiative that will focus on protecting temporary employees from recognized workplace hazards.  OSHA compliance officers are being directed to assess whether employers who use temporary workers are complying with their responsibilities to adequately train and protect these employees.  The initiative defines these workers as all employees supplied to a host company and paid by a staffing agency.  The compliance officers will be focusing on whether these employees are being exposed to any violations under the OSHA standards and whether the employees are receiving the appropriate training in a language and vocabulary they can understand.   Added emphasis will be put on whether temporary workers are being trained on how to protect themselves from serious hazards such as wearing proper PPE or working with hazardous chemicals.  This is an excellent opportunity for employers who use temporary employees to review their policies, how their temporary employees are being used in their specific work environment and verify that proper training and recordkeeping is taking place.

If you need help making sure you are dealing with temporary – or any – employees the right way, contact Sarah Carty at 859-231-8936, ext. 107 or Kevin Chaplin at 502-587-6482 ext. 208.