recurring problems. If required, a
staffing agency safety manager will
do an investigation on-site to understand what happened and why, and
how we could prevent it from happening in the future.
Find out about and follow best
practices. For example, one aspect
of the Safety Standard of Excellence
I mentioned earlier covers the
onboarding process for temporary
employees. Also, ask whether the
staffing firm is a member of the
American Staffing Association and
thus has access to its safety-related
information.
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workers. That’s OK as long as it follows OSHA policies and procedures, and
they’re doing it at the client’s job site.
But be careful; we’re seeing third parties
advertising that they’ll have forklift operators trained in two hours for $25 or $30.
They give them a certificate, but they’ve
only given them general awareness training, not what they actually need.
QShould safety-related responsibilities be spelled out in the contract between
the staffing agency and the client?
AIt’s critical that language about health, safety, and training be included in that contract. It’s the elephant in
the room. In an OSHA investigation, one
of the first things they’ll ask about is the
agency-client relationship in regard to
health and safety, and whether you have
contract language specifically defining
those responsibilities. Be aware, though,
that OSHA makes it clear that as a warehouse or DC operator, you can’t contract
away your responsibility.
QDo you have any additional recom- mendations regarding the safety of
temporary warehouse workers?
AYes, I have a few specifically in rela- tion to hiring. First is to never assume
anything about training. Always work
out in the service agreement who will be
responsible for what. If you don’t have
clarity, then go back to the staffing company, work that out, and put it in writing.
If a temporary employee thinks there
is an issue regarding safety or training, or
if there is a question about supervision
or onboarding, go back to the staffing
agency and ask for help addressing it. You
don’t want contract employees to feel like
they’re on their own in these situations.
Remember that responsibility for handling workers’ compensation falls on the
temporary agency, but the client that
supervises the worker is responsible for
properly filling out the OSHA Form 300
report (for work-related injuries and illness). When possible, the staffing agency
should partner with the clinic the client
has engaged to provide 24-hour medical
coverage. The doctor who normally handles injuries for the facility knows what’s
typical, and there may be clues about
