Washington – OSHA has launched an initiative to help ensure temporary workers are better protected.

Temporary and contractor workers should be included in all efforts employers take to ensure the safety of workers, according to National Safety Council recommendations released Dec. 18.

The temporary workforce in the United States is growing, as is the number of stories of temp workers being injured or killed on the job. Safety+Health examines the challenges of ensuring the safety of temporary workers, and the steps stakeholder groups and OSHA are taking to address the issue.

In an effort to better protect temporary workers – who are at an increased risk of work-related injuries and illnesses – OSHA and NIOSH partnered to release a report containing recommended practices for staffing agencies and host employers.

Many businesses are increasingly using temporary workers during the holiday season and throughout the year, making it challenging to provide safe environments without proper planning and guidance.

NDP MPs Jenny Kwan and Matthew Green say the government needs to allow all temporary workers access to open work permits in an effort to stop them from being in abusive work environments.

In Germany, the provision of temporary personnel is strictly regulated by the German Temporary Employment Act (“AÜG”). The principle is straightforward: the agency is the employer and supplies the temporary employees to the hirer. A...

Faced with labor shortages in key sectors of the economy, South Korea has moved carefully in recent decades toward accepting greater numbers of workers—albeit in temporary fashion. Its Employment Permit System, launched in 2003, earned international accolades for bringing order and legality to immigration in the country, although several challenges remain to be addressed as this Country Profile explores.