NIOSH Announces Partnership to Promote Health, Safety of Temporary Workers

A new partnership between NIOSH and the American Staffing Association (ASA) seeks to advance the protection of temporary workers. A news update published on July 19 by NIOSH explains that the partnership is intended to “encourage staffing companies and host employers to develop and utilize safety and health management programs and effective prevention strategies and technologies.” ASA is an organization focused on the staffing, recruiting, and workforce solutions industry in the United States. The partnership agreement is in effect through January 2025.

NIOSH and ASA plan to explore potential areas for joint research related to temporary workers and to increase outreach to staffing companies and host employers with information on the recognition and prevention of workplace hazards. According to NIOSH, the agency, ASA, and others have been working throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure that temporary workers who do essential work are provided the same protections and access to vaccines as non-temporary workers.

The National Occupational Research Agenda Services Sector Council is developing a new set of recommended practices for host employers to better protect temporary workers. Through their new partnership, NIOSH and ASA will work together to disseminate these recommendations once they are complete.

For further details, see NIOSH’s news update. More information on protecting temporary workers can be found on OSHA’s website.

Related: “The Dual-Employer Relationship,” a feature article published in the February 2019 issue of The Synergist, reviews guidance from both federal OSHA and the state of California that clarifies that temp agencies and host employers are jointly responsible for the health and safety of temporary workers.