                                       
                                 Introduction
                                       
Whether you are a host employer or a staffing agency, the success of your business is often linked to that of your partner.  Host employers need temporary staff to provide specialized skills, additional labor or coverage for regular employees.  Staffing agencies rely on host employers to fulfill their business model of providing talent to meet the temporary needs of companies.  The significance of this partnership becomes compelling when one considers the health and safety of temporary workers.  When handled well, all benefit from the contribution of the temporary worker  -  the host employer gets the work done; the temporary worker earns wages, gains valuable experience, and is afforded a path to possible regular employment with the host employer; and the staffing agency fulfills its business mission.  When we fail to protect the health and safety of temporary workers, everyone suffers  -  the worker is injured or killed, the staffing agency loses an employee and may incur increased Workers Compensation costs and the host employer is at risk of a wide range of consequences such as reduced productivity, poor product quality, low worker morale, property damage, business interruption, legal liability and negative public image.

Protecting temporary workers is a joint responsibility of the host employer and staffing agency driven by three overarching principles  -  (1) Everyone is entitled to a safe workplace regardless of how they are paid, (2) Staffing agency employees must be protected to the same extent as the host employer's regular employees, and (3) Staffing agencies have the responsibility to place their employees in a safe workplace.  Fulfilling this joint responsibility hinges on two key factors  -  communication and collaboration.  Frequent, aligned and transparent interactions between the host employer and staffing agency are the hallmark of an excellent communications plan.  Strong interpersonal relationships based on trust and a shared commitment to the health and safety of all workers is evidence of a highly collaborative partnership between the host employer and the staffing agency.  So, how does one achieve this vision?  While nothing can guarantee success, odds are in your favor when there is a common language and common operating platform among the partners.  For worker protection, this is found in a health and safety management system.  Typical elements include management leadership and worker participation, planning, implementation, evaluation & corrective action and management review.  In the pages that follow, you will learn how to apply the principles of a health and safety management system to assure a protective environment for temporary workers.  Health and safety management systems should be developed individually by the host employer and staffing agency for their separate operations and then merged into a hybrid that facilitates protection of the temporary worker at the host employer worksite.  While the approach may appear to be exclusively for larger companies, the principles are universal and can be applied to small businesses as well.

It is important to note that some state programs have already been incorporated these principles of joint responsibility into their health and safety regulations.  Staffing agencies and host employers should review all applicable regulations to assure full compliance.

Communication, collaboration and common management systems all combine to protect temporary workers at host employers and help assure that everyone returns home safely to their family and friends at the end of each workday.


