Recommended Practices: Protecting Temporary Workers

[Excerpt] Workers employed through staffing agencies are generally called temporary or supplied workers. For the purposes of these recommended practices, “temporary workers” are those supplied to a host employer and paid by a staffing agency, whether or not the job is actually temporary. Whether temporary or permanent, all workers always have a right to a safe and healthy workplace. The staffing agency and the staffing agency’s client (the host employer) are joint employers of temporary workers and, therefore, both are responsible for providing and maintaining a safe work environment for those workers. The staffing agency and the host employer must work together to ensure that the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (the OSH Act) requirements are fully met. See 29 U.S.C. § 651. The extent of the obligations of each employer will vary depending on workplace conditions and should therefore be described in the agreement or contract between the employers. Their safety and health responsibilities will sometimes overlap. Either the staffing agency or the host employer may be better suited to ensure compliance with a particular requirement, and may assume primary responsibility for it. The joint employment structure requires effective communication and a common understanding of the division of responsibilities for safety and health. Ideally, these will be set forth in a written contract. OSHA and NIOSH recommend the following practices to staffing agencies and host employers so that they may better protect temporary workers through mutual cooperation and collaboration. Unless otherwise legally required, these recommendations are for the purpose of guidance and in some cases represent best practices

Injuries among youth on farms, 2001

"Agriculture continues to rank as one of the most hazardous industries. Youth are exposed to hazards while living, working on, or visiting farms. In 2001, there were approximately 1.9 million farms in the U.S., with an estimated 1,075,759 youth living in these farm households. Between 1995 and 2000, the annual injury fatality rate for youth on farm operations was 9.3 fatalities per 100,000 youth. In 2001, the non-fatal injury rate for youth who reside on or are hired to work on U.S. farms was 1,270 injuries per 100,000 farm youth. Household farm youth comprise all youth 0-19 years of age who live on Us. farms and include working and non-working youth. An estimated 1,075,759 youth lived on u.S. farm operations in 2001: 16,851 were injured (16 injuries per 1,000 household youth); 10-15 year olds had the highest injury rate (21 injuries per 1,000 household youth); 5,807 injuries occurred while working on the farm (10 injuries per 1,000 working household. youth); 10-15 year olds experienced the highest rate of injury while doing farm work (11 injuries per 1,000 household youth)." --NIOSHTIC-2Title from PDF title screen (CDC, viewed July 8, 2010)."December 2004."Also available on the World Wide Web

Report of activities for fiscal year 1997

"The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) within the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). NIOSH, the federal agency responsible for research and prevention of workplace hazards, is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has facilities in Anchorage, Alaska; Atlanta, Georgia; Cincinnati, Ohio; Morgantown, West Virginia; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Spokane, Washington. Currently, there are 127 million individuals, 16 years of age or older, in the United States workforce. The workforce is aging, becoming more ethnically and racially diverse, and includes more women. Safety and health hazards experienced by workers have implications for their personal lives, their productivity, and the productivity of the nation as a whole. According to a NIOSH-funded study published in 1997, work-related injuries cost the nation more than $145 billion and work-related diseases cost an additional$26 billion, making the total financial burden a staggering $171 billion (1992). While occupational health research has improved worker protection against many hazards and diseases, much remains to be done. Workers are still at risk for noise induced hearing loss and exposed to lead and silica, two long-recognized occupational hazards that cause chronic lung disease. As the workplace and workforce change, new hazards emerge. Violence is now a threat in the workplace, latex allergies are increasing among health care workers, new chemicals and processes place workers in danger, and the long-term effects of many exposures remain unknown. NIOSH continues to reduce work-related injuries and illnesses by conducting research, publishing recommendations for preventing work-related injuries and illnesses, and training professionals in occupational safety and health. An unhealthy working environment affects workers' health and productivity, and may even render them unable to work. The consequences of occupational safety and health hazards are reflected in the following statistics: In 1996 on a typical day in the United States, 16 workers died from injuries. Each day, an average of 137 workers died from work-related diseases. According to the National Safety Council, the costs for occupationally-related injuries exceeded$121 billion in 1996. NIOSH is committed to making the workplace a safer environment for all people. NIOSH is constantly faced with new challenges as the workforce grows older and changes in demographic composition, as individuals work longer hours, and as issues facing workers evolve. NIOSH has been conducting health research and making recommendations for preventing occupational illness and injury since its inception in 1970. The Occupational Safety and Health Act created both NIOSH and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), giving each unique responsibilities and placing them in different governmental departments. While NIOSH is charged with conducting research and implementing prevention activities, OSHA is required to promulgate regulations and enforce health and safety standards in the workplace and is part of the Department of Labor. FY 1997 marked completion of the transfer of the health and safety research programs from the former U.S. Bureau of Mines to NIOSH. In FY 1997, NIOSH's total operating budget was $173 million and NIOSH staff numbered 1,364. As required by the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA), NIOSH developed four Institute-wide strategic goals in FY 1997. The complete version of the NIOSH Strategic Plan is available on the NIOSH Home Page at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/. These goals complement the goals set out by both DHHS and CDC. The four NIOSH goals--targeting of research, surveillance, prevention, and information dissemination and training-- represent the broad spectrum of NIOSH's work. It is the interplay of these goals that has and will make the vision of this Institute--safer and healthier workplaces--a reality. To best describe NIOSH's accomplishments during FY 1997, this Report of Activities has been organized around the Institute's four strategic goals. This Report highlights the work of the Institute during FY 1997 and it is not an exhaustive account of Institute-wide activity." - NIOSHTIC-2"March 1999.

Racial minority national data

"This document presents the national M-CAIS results for racial minority farm operations in an easily accessible statistical abstract format. A racial minority farm operation includes farms operated by Blacks, Native Americans, Asians, or operators of "other" races. "Other races" includes operators native to or of ancestry from Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central or South America [USDA, 1999]. This document includes injuries to all youth on racial minority operated farms regardless of the race or ethnicity of the injured youth (i.e., a white youth who worked and was injured on a racial minority farm would be included in these statistics). Future documents, in a similar format, will provide national data for Hispanic farm operations, regional data for racial minority farm operations, and regional data for Hispanic farm operations. Due to the quantity of data, no attempt was made to interpret the results presented. A list of NIOSH documents and publications that do provide interpretation of these and other childhood farm injury data is provided in Appendix A. It is hoped that the data presented here will be used by public health and safety professionals, engineers, and other groups working in the area of childhood farm safety and health to help in their intervention programs and injury control research. The estimates, prevalence rates, and incidence rates presented in this statistical abstract were calculated by NIOSH and are presented with the approval of USDA, NASS. Access to all M-CAIS data, files, or additional estimates from the M-CAIS data, are subject to the approval of USDA, NASS." - NIOSHTIC-2John R. Myers, Kitty J. Hendricks, Larry A. Layne, and E. Michael Goldcamp."July 2005."Also available via the World Wide Web.Includes bibliographical references: p. (243-248)

Stop MRSA in jails and prisons

"Handle laundry safely. Protect yourself. Put wet or soiled laundry in a plastic bag while wearing gloves; Wear gloves while handling all dirty laundry; Wash your hands after removing gloves. How to do laundry. Use the warmest water recommended on detergent and clothing labels; Laundry may not get clean if the washer is packed too full of clothes; Machine dry completely." - NIOSHTIC-2Title from NIOSHTIC-2If you have a MRSA infection (correctional staff) - http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2013-126/Also available via the World Wide Web as an Acrobat .pdf file (3 MB, 1 p.)

Solid waste industry

"The solid waste industry (Waste Management and Remediation, NAICS 562) consists of 3 groups: Collection; Treatment and Disposal; and Other Waste Remediation Services. In 2010, approximately 478,000 workers were employed in the solid waste industry with about 355,000 in private industry. About 72,500 of the private waste industry employees are classified as Refuse and Recyclable Materials Collectors (SOC 53-708) and 49,000 of these collection workers are employed by local government agencies. Occupational traumatic injury fatality data for 2003-2009 have been published for public and private sector workers but occupational injury and illness data for this period are available only for private sector workers. Effective health and safety programs which include hazard recognition and controls can reduce occupational injuries and illnesses and improve work conditions in the solid waste industry." - NIOSHTIC-2"March 2012."Also available via the World Wide Web as an Acrobat .pdf file (1.91 MB, 4 p.)

Reducing roofers' exposure to asphalt fumes

"This document represents a collaborative effort of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA), the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers' Association (ARMA), the Asphalt Institute (AI), and the United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers, and Allied Workers (UURWAW) to reduce worker exposures to asphalt fumes during the application of hot asphalt to roofs. This guide is for roofers and contractors who work with hot asphalt on roofs. The guide lists steps for reducing exposure to asphalt fumes. Roofers exposed to asphalt fumes may experience the following health effects: headache; eye, nose, throat, and skin irritation; nausea; fatigue; and, drowsiness. These effects appear to be mild and transient. According to some studies, roofers also have an increased risk of lung cancer. But researchers are not sure whether this risk is caused by exposure to asphalt fumes or to other hazards such as smoking, coal tar, or asbestos. In light of this possible health risk and the irritation effects associated with hot asphalt work, it makes sense to take steps to control exposures while government, industry, labor, and independent researchers continue to study these health concerns. NIOSH is working together with industry and labor representatives to find methods that will significantly reduce asphalt fume exposures for roofers and contractors. Efforts are under way to identify new engineering controls and to test their effectiveness in reducing fume exposures at the kettle. To date, studies have shown that the use of fume-suppressing roofing asphalts can reduce fume exposure at the kettle. As these studies are completed, appropriate recommendations will be developed and disseminated." --NIOSHTIC-2"September 2003.

Traumatic incident stress: information for emergency response workers

"Disasters take many forms and demand quick response from emergency workers. They may include natural disasters such as earthquakes or hurricanes, or they may involve manmade disasters such as technological failures or terrorist attacks. As a member of an emergency response team, you and your team members are at risk of experiencing what psychologists refer to as a traumatic incident-an incident that may involve exposure to catastrophic events, severely injured children or adults, dead bodies or body parts, or the loss of colleagues, for instance. You may experience any of the physical, cognitive, emotional, or behavioral symptoms listed in the document. Some people experience emotional aftershocks weeks or months after they have passed through a traumatic event. Others may experience these reactions while still at the scene, where they must stay clearly focused on constantly changing hazards to maintain their own safety and to rescue injured victims." - NIOSHTIC-2"October 2001."Mode of access: World Wide Web

Emerging technologies and the safety and health of working people: knowledge gaps and research directions

"Changes in technologies have far outpaced our knowledge about the implications of these changes for the quality of working life and for safety and health on the job. This gap in knowledge is one of the 21 priority areas for research under the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) - a framework crafted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and its partners to guide research into the next decade. This report was developed under NORA as a foundation for a comprehensive research agenda for investigating and reducing occupational safety and health risks as well as intervention opportunities associated with emerging technologies. Research and development needs identified in the agenda include (1) improved surveillance mechanisms to better track the emergence of technology, (2) accelerated research on safety and health implications of emerging technology, (3) increased research focus on protecting and promoting safety and health in emerging technology fields, and (4) steps to formalize and nurture emerging technology as a distinct field within occupational safety and health." - NIOSHTIC-21. The future of technology -- 2. Identifying emerging technologies -- 3. Anticipating the impact of emerging technologies -- 4. Achieving inherently safer designs -- 5. Integrated approaches to researchNORA Emerging Technology Team."April 2006."Also available via the World Wide Web.Includes bibliographical references (29-33)

Get valid spirometry results EVERY time

"This document is intended to provide concise information on how to identify and correct technical and equipment errors encountered during spirometry testing, using the most current standard professional practice guidelines. Graphic examples and descriptive text enable the user to easily identify common testing problems. The document (20" x 24" poster) is intended to be posted in clinical testing areas for easy reference during test administration."Also available via the World Wide Web as an Acrobat .pdf file (160 KB; 1 p. )