By Benjamin D. Briggs, Adam R. Younger, A. Scott Hecker, Patrick D. Joyce, and Craig B. Simonsen
Seyfarth Synopsis: The Nationwide Institute for Occupational Security and Well being (NIOSH) has launched a brand new set of greatest practices to help host employers in higher defending the protection and well being of short-term employees.
Since 2013, Federal OSHA has maintained a Momentary Employee Initiative, devoting inspection sources in direction of short-term employees and staffing companies. OSHA often cites a number of corporations—together with host employers—below this Multi-Employer Worksite Doctrine for alleged hazards confronted by short-term employers.
Now NIOSH, a federal company which lacks an enforcement arm, has put ahead short-term employee steering. Based on NIOSH, its steering addresses short-term employees who’re paid by a staffing firm and assigned to a bunch employer, together with for each short- and long-term assignments. NIOSH explains that “the danger of experiencing a work-related harm could also be increased for short-term employees than for non-temporary employees.”
NIOSH—in partnership the American Society of Security Professionals (ASSP), the American Staffing Affiliation (ASA), and the Security and Well being Evaluation and Analysis for Prevention (SHARP) program inside the Washington State Division of Labor and Industries—developed a set of greatest practices to assist host employers optimize their efforts to guard the protection and well being of short-term employees.
The very best practices had been organized into three sections:
Analysis and contracting;
Coaching for short-term employees and their worksite supervisors; and
Damage and sickness reporting, response, and recordkeeping.
NIOSH has additionally ready a sequence of checklists for every of the three sections that may be printed or accomplished electronically. As well as, there may be additionally a slide deck for staffing corporations to make use of to teach their host employer purchasers about one of the best practices contained within the doc. These supplies are instructional and non-mandatory.
Enforcement of security guidelines and a robust security tradition are important to office security and preserving the corporate’s defenses to an OSHA quotation. As a part of an OSHA accident inspection, the Company possible will assessment the employer’s coverage paperwork and coaching supplies, and can possible interview short-term employees about their coaching and understanding of security hazards.
Now we have blogged earlier than on this subject. See, for example, OSHA Focuses on Momentary Employee Employer Tasks and Steering, OSHA Releases Two New Momentary Employee Steering Paperwork, OSHA Releases Two New Momentary Employee Steering Paperwork, New Steering for ‘Really useful Practices’ to Defend Momentary Employees, OSHA Points Memo to ‘Remind’ its Discipline Employees about Enforcement Coverage on Momentary Employees, and OSHRC Evaluations Employment Relationships. For extra data on this or any associated matters, please contact the authors, your Seyfarth legal professional, or any member of the Office Security and Well being (OSHA/MSHA) Group.
