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

Occupational Infection in Korea

Occupational infection is a human disease caused by work-associated exposure to microbial agents through human and environmental contact. According to the literature, occupational infection was the third leading cause of occupational disease (861 cases, 8.0%), and health care, agricultural, forestry, and fishery workers were risk groups in Korea. In addition, most high-risk groups have not been protected by workers' compensation, which could lead to underestimation of the exact spectrum and magnitude of the problem, and may also result in a lack of development and implementation of occupational infection management. Through a review of national guidelines and documentations on prevention and control of occupational infection, a management strategy would promote adherence to worker safety regulations if it is explicit with regard to the agent and mode of infection in each of the high-risk groups

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

Join us in moving science to solutions for--mining

"Partnership makes a difference...here is one example. Imagine trying to escape when working in an enclosed space hundreds of feet underground. Emergencies like fires or explosions are frightening potential hazards for the approximately 44,000 underground mine workers in the United States. U.S. law requires underground miners to participate in mine emergency evacuation drills, but these drills are conducted in smoke-free environments that do not fully prepare workers for conditions they might encounter in a real escape situation. Several U.S. mining companies approached NIOSH to help them better prepare their workers for underground emergencies. Working with NIOSH researchers, the group created an innovative program to plan, conduct, and evaluate evacuation exercises using nontoxic smoke to simulate a real fire. Over 1,900 workers in nine mines traveled 700 to 1,000 feet through smoke-filled passages with visibility less than five feet. Miners used technologies identified or developed by NIOSH to assist their escape, such as chemical light sticks, audible strobe lights, reflective materials, directional lifelines, lighted vests, and hand-held laser pointers. As a result of these exercises, several of the mining companies have installed directional lifelines in their escape ways, purchased chemical light sticks, and are exploring the use of hand-held lasers. The Mine Safety and Health Administration has also required directional lifelines in escape ways of underground coal mines that are ventilated with conveyor belt entry air. As word of the training spread, so did the number of mining companies that wanted to participate and include smoke simulation training at their facilities. The long-term outcome of this training is a workforce better prepared to deal with emergency situations in a safe manner." --NIOSHTIC-2Title from PDF title screen (CDC, viewed July 8, 2010)

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.)

Methylene chloride control in furniture stripping

Cover title."September 1997."Also available via the World Wide Web.Includes bibliographical references (p. [5])

NIOSH DOD OSHA sponsored Chemical and Biological Respiratory Protection Workshop report

"Since publication of Presidential Initiative 62, municipal, state, and national guard responder groups have been developing response plans and establishing the procedural and equipment infrastructures to capably respond to chemical and /or biological terrorism and other crisis situations. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) co-sponsored this technical Workshop together with the Department of Defense(DOD)-US Army Soldier and Biological Chemical Command(SBCCOM) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration(OSHA). Workshop objectives were to: 1)identify and understand the hazards associated with chemical and/or biological incidents, 2)identify the different responders and their respirator protection needs, 3)determine which respirators and selection criteria are currently being utilized for response to these type of incidents, and 4)determining public health and medical community concerns which must be considered in developing a standard for chemical and/or biological respiratory protective devices." - NIOSHTIC-2John M. Dower, Richard W. Metzler, Frank M. Palya, Jeff A. Peterson, Molly Pickett-Harner."February 2000."Also available via the World Wide Web.Includes bibliographical references