OSHA, ASA Work to Keep Temporary Workers Safe

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration signed an alliance with the American Staffing Association to further protect temporary employees from workplace hazards.

“We want to make sure that at the end of every work shift, all temporary workers in the United States are able to go home safely to their families,” says David Michaels, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health. “Through this alliance with the ASA, we will increase outreach to staffing agencies and host employers and provide information and education that is vital to protecting temporary workers.”

OSHA and ASA will conduct outreach to workers about their rights and work to educate staffing firms and their clients on the responsibilities to protect workers under the OSHA Act.

Specifically, OSHA and ASA intend to work together to:

• Develop information on the recognition and prevention of workplace hazards, and develop ways of communicating such information (e.g., print and electronic media, electronic assistance tools, and the OSHA and ASA websites) to staffing firms, client companies, and temporary workers
• Speak, exhibit, and appear at OSHA and ASA conferences, local meetings, and other events
• Share information among OSHA personnel and industry safety and health professionals regarding temporary worker safety best practices through training programs, workshops, and seminars