Are You Following These Rules to Keep Employees Safe?
Posted January 12th, 2015
An agreement was recently signed between U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the American Staffing Association (ASA) to find ways to improve workplace safety for temporary workers. The agreement will establish committees, develop educational resources, and promote outreach programs to help ensure a safe and healthy workplace for temporary workers, a significant but often overlooked segment of today’s workforce. In advance of their first findings, we’ve put together some tips to help you improve workplace safety for temporary workers.
Educate Everyone
Workplace safety education is typically standard for full-time and part-time workers, but less common for temporary workers. No matter how long their contract is, make sure that everyone you hire on a temporary basis undergoes thorough and comprehensive safety training that covers every possible hazard.
Inspect Conditions
Temporary workers are often hired to work in settings that are less monitored, controlled, and safeguarded. It may be impossible to eliminate all the potential dangers, but employers must take the time to inspect any work area and confirm certain basic safety standards. Sending temporary workers into an environment with obvious and avoidable hazards is simply irresponsible.
Alert Your Workforce
Temporary workers are often added to the workforce without any announcement or fan fair. Its essential that your full-time and part-time employees know the temporary workers are on the job and where they are working. That way accidents don’t happen simply because your regular workforce thought a space was unoccupied, or a piece or machinery was going unused.
Provide Safety Gear
As the employer, it’s your responsibility to provide temporary workers with any specialized safety gear they may require. Since they will only be working for you temporarily, it is unfair to expect these workers to purchase the gear outright. Make this minor investment to avoid the major disruptions that follow a workplace accident.
Hire Safe Workers
In your rush to fill a vacancy, you might neglect to ask a temporary worker about his safety record. But looking for workers that understand the importance of safety, the best ways to stay safe, and the proper response to an accident will do a much better job of keeping themselves and their coworkers out of danger. You have choices when finding temporary workers, so pick the ones you know are committed to safety.
OSHA has not yet created new regulations mandating workplace safety for temporary workers, but they are likely coming down the pipeline. The best way to prepare is to make safety a priority now. Partner with a company like Bayside Solutions to find temporary workers that take safety as seriously as you do.
