Staffing Agencies and Safety Responsibilities
Both host employers and staffing agencies have roles in complying with workplace health and safety requirements and they share responsibility for ensuring worker safety and health. A key concept is that each employer should consider the hazards it is in a position to prevent and correct, and in a position in which to comply with Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards. For example: staffing agencies might provide general safety and health training, and host employers should provide specific training tailored to the particular workplace equipment/hazards.
Important Points to Remember
- The key is communication between the agency and the host to ensure that the necessary protections are provided.
- Staffing agencies have a duty to inquire into the conditions of their workers’ assigned workplaces. They must ensure that they are sending workers to a safe workplace. Ignorance of hazards is not an excuse.
- Staffing agencies need not become experts on workplace hazards, but they should determine what conditions exist at their host agencies, what hazards may be encountered and how to ensure protection for temporary workers.
- The staffing agency has the 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.
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