How Can You Make Safety a Priority With Temporary Employees?

Whether an employee is a permanent fixture of your company or working on a temporary basis is irrelevant. Everyone is entitled to a safe working environment. With nearly 2.8 million injuries reported by private industry employers in 2015, safety should be a top priority. Here are some ways you can place emphasis on safety for temporary employees who may not understand the ins and outs of safety protocol.

It Starts With Communication

It’s crucial you and your temporary employees are on the same page right from the start. Be sure to designate a specific block of time during the onboarding process to discuss your company’s safety policies and explain proper safety protocol. It’s also ideal to provide temporary workers with a resource (digital and/or paper) they can use for reference. If the job description involves potentially dangerous tasks, you’ll want to go over proper procedure so there’s no confusion or misunderstanding.

Take the Same Precautions You Would With Permanent Employees

There are two reasons temporary employees are at greater risk of an accident or illness. First, they may lack the knowledge, qualifications and experience of a permanent employee. Second, they may take unnecessary risks because they view it as a way to prove themselves and impress their employer with the hopes of being brought on full time. You can diminish the likelihood of safety issues by providing the same level of training you would for anyone else.

Promptly Follow Up on Safety-Related Complaints 

It’s also important to create a “safety-first” type of culture where employees feel comfortable reporting unsafe working conditions. Because your employees are the ones “in the trenches,” they’ll usually be the first ones to recognize safety issues. Be sure to encourage temporary employees (as well as permanent workers) to report any hazards they come across. From there, it’s up to you to promptly follow up on these complaints, investigate them and find an effective solution.

Only Assign Tasks to Qualified Workers

Sometimes employers find themselves in a pinch and assign a potentially dangerous task to a temporary employee who is obviously underqualified. This is a recipe for disaster and should be avoided at all costs. It’s better to put a task on hold rather than put an employee in unnecessary danger.

Temporary employees are often the ones at the biggest risk of injury or illness. As an employer you should take every possible measure to minimize safety threats and protect these employees.

Looking to streamline recruiting and find top-tier talent? Contact Encadria Staffing Solutions today.

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