OSHA Toughens Temporary Worker Safety Stance

April 30, 2013 – An initiative to help protect temporary workers from workplace hazards was announced Monday by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The agency said it’s taking action after reports of temporary workers suffering fatal injuries.

The effort includes a memorandum sent to OSHA’s regional administrators directing field inspectors to assess whether employers who use temporary workers are complying with the law. To view the memo, click here.

Inspectors will use a newly created code in their information system to denote when temporary workers are exposed to safety and health violations. In addition, inspectors will assess whether temporary workers received required training in a language they could understand.
OSHA made the announcement on Workers’ Memorial Day.

“On Workers’ Memorial Day, we mourn the loss of the thousands of workers who die each year on the job from preventable hazards,” said David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health. “Many of those killed and injured are temporary workers who often perform the most dangerous jobs, have limited English proficiency and are not receiving the training and protective measures required. Workers must be safe, whether they’ve been on the job for one day or for 25 years.”

OSHA said it received a series of reports about temporary workers suffering fatal injuries in recent months. Many were workers on the first days on the job.

Posted by Morgan Rand in Blog