New OSHA Memo Issued About Temporary Workers

OSHA has issued a new memorandum clarifying the responsibilities of host employers and staffing agencies. Employees, in this memorandum, are classified as "workers hired and paid by a staffing agency and supplied to a host employer to be 'joint employees'." The host employer typically has primary responsibility for determining the hazards in its workplace and complying with worksite specific requirements. The staffing agency has the responsibility to ensure that it isn't sending workers to sites where they are not protected or face hazards that they have not been trained to avoid. OSHA inspectors have been instructed to review any written contracts between the staffing agency and the host employer to determine whether the agreement addresses responsibilities for employee safety and health.