OSHA Releases Two Temporary Worker Guidance Documents

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently released two new temporary worker bulletins relating to respiratory protection, noise exposure, and hearing conservation. Under Temporary Worker Initiative (TWI) Bulletin No. 8 — Respiratory Protection, OSHA notes that, among other things, both the host employer and staffing agency are "jointly responsible to ensure workers wear appropriate respirators when required," and "neither the host nor the staffing agency can require workers to provide or pay for their own respiratory protection when it is required." Under TWI Bulletin No. 9 — Noise Exposure and Hearing Conservation, OSHA notes that, among other things, both the host employer and staffing agency are jointly responsible for ensuring that "workers receive protection from hazardous noise levels when it is required under OSHA standards," and "neither the host nor the staffing agency can require workers to provide or pay for their own hearing protection devices or require workers to purchase such devices as a condition of employment or placement." The bulletins stress that fulfilling the shared responsibility for temporary worker safety requires thoughtful coordination between staffing agencies and host employers.

Lexology (07/11/18) Benjamin D. Briggs; Patrick D. Joyce; Craig B. Simonsen