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OSHA announces initiative to safeguard contingent workers

Posted on May 15th, 2013 Read time: 1 minutes

The safety of temporary workers while they are on the job might get a boost, thanks to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

OSHA announced the launch of an initiative to protect contract employees from occupational hazards during a Workers' Memorial Day celebration on April 28. Under the new program, OSHA hopes to determine the conditions of short-term staff while they are within the workplace. Safety inspectors will increase their assessment of employer compliance with their responsibilities under the Occupational Safety and Health Act and be able to utilize new coding specifically for temporary workers during the process.

According to OSHA, the agency has also started working with the American Staffing Association and those employers employing temporary workers to ensure short-term staff are protected from hazards while they are on site.

The safety of contingent employees has come into question within the past year as workplace injuries involving temporary workers have been on the rise. The initiative hopes to increase employer awareness about educate contract staff about safety training and to reduce the number of employees unaware of workplace hazards. 

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