OSHA Launches New Initiative to Protect Temporary Workers

June 5, 2013- As part of its goal to make work sites across the country safer, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced an initiative that aims to further protect temporary workers from workplace hazards.

The department's Bureau of Labor Statistics recently released new data about workers killed on the job in 2011 that showed fatal work injuries involving contractors accounted for 542 -- or 12 percent -- of the 4,693 fatal work injuries reported. Hispanic/Latino contractors accounted for 28 percent of fatal work injuries among contractors, well above their 16 percent share of the overall fatal work injury total for the year.

As part of its initiative, OSHA sent a memorandum to the agency's regional administrators directing field inspectors to assess whether employers who use temporary workers are complying with the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Inspectors will use a newly created code in their information system to denote when temporary workers are exposed to safety and health violations. They also will assess whether temporary workers received training in a language they can understand.

“We mourn the loss of the thousands of workers who die each year on the job from preventable hazards," said Dr. 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 has begun working with the American Staffing Association and employers that use staffing agencies to promote best practices ensuring that temporary workers are protected from job hazards.

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