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Presented by Benjamin Costello,

Safety Coordinator

Quad Graphics Lomira

Temporary Employees are

People Too!

About me…..

Benjamin Costello,

-Live in the Fond du Lac Area

-Safety Coordinator for Quad Graphics since 2006, currently in the Lomira

Facility which is the largest print facility in the western hemisphere .

Employee approximately 1,500 employees , nearly 300 of those being

temporary/part time employees.

-Married and a father of a little girl.

-Enjoy Snowmobiling, Reading, Welding and Fabrication and agriculture.

-Earned a degree in Occupational Safety from UW-Whitewater in 2006

-I work with Temporary Employee Agencies, train temporary employees,

design programs for temporary employees, as well as investigated

incidents involving temporary employees.

Discussion Topics

-History of Temporary Employees

-Challenges of Utilizing Temporary Employees

-How to Decide Who to Work With

-Planning Your Safety Training for Temporary

Employees

-What to do When They Arrive on Site

-Other considerations

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Scenario:

You are in charge of safety in your facility and learn from your plant

supervisor that your company will be increasing the amount of part-time

and temporary workers to fill a gap in production……..

What is your immediate perception?

How many of you work for or consult with

companies that utilize a temporary workforce?

Why do companies rely on temporary

employees?

-To fill in for sick or injured employees

-To fill gaps during short-term peaks in production

-Temporary labor may costs less.

-Full time help is not available

-Limits a company’s liability to an employee.

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What Types of Temporary Employees are in the

workplace today?

-Temp to hire

-Day laborer

-Seasonal

-Part time temp

-Professional

History of Temporary Labor in the U.S.

Temporary Labor in the US really became apparent during the Industrial

Revolution.

Mostly used as a means to fill in for sick or injured employees

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics there are approximately 2.8

million temporary workers in the United States (2011).

History of Temporary Labor in the US cont.

-Temporary labor represents approximately 2.3 percent of the

workforce in the us today!

-Temporary labor movement used as a “Pre-cursor” for the

economy.

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How does your company perceive temporary

employees?

-Are temporary employees simply “warm bodies” in your company’s eyes?

-Do temporary employees represent a “necessary evil” for the production

demands of your company?

Challenges of Utilizing Temporary Employees

I have seen temporary employees

-Hit by forklifts (while wearing 3 winter coats)

-Claim to slip in the doorway of a bathroom (while wearing

boots 2 sizes too big with laces untied).

-Steal food out of the cafeteria right in front of me

-Claim various heart conditions (to get out of work)

-Claim to swallow a bee

Challenges of Utilizing Temporary Employees

Sometimes as Safety Professionals we focus on the negatives.

How often do temporary employees work for your company

successfully and go unnoticed?

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How to Decide Which Temp Agency to Work With

Start with your program (if internal) or work with your temp agency.

If you are able to help determine which vendor you will work here are

some things to keep in mind.

-Loss history for the agency

-Is the agency willing to develop safety training

specific to your business?

More to come on this

topic later in the

presentation!

How to Decide Which Temp Agency to Work With

-Ask your temp agency for references or their clientele mix

-Determine what their policies are for investigation of incidents?

-What is the protocol for injured employees?

How to Decide Which Temp Agency to Work With

-Who will provide Personal Protective Equipment ?

-Transportation on a daily basis, as well as if issues arise.

-What is the discipline policy?

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How to Decide Which Temp Agency to Work With

-Determine what your expectations are of your agency as well as

the employees that may be brought on site.

-Take a field trip! Visit the temp agency, invite them to tour your

facility.

Safety Training for Temporary Employees

As a host employer along with the agency you work with, both parties are

obligated to provide a safe workplace for employees.

Development of temp employee training

Temporary employees may either be trained by you, or the agency you are

working with.

Understand that the temp agency may be investing time to train an

employee before they come on site, they may be taking a gamble on an

employee if they do not work out.

Safety Training for Temporary Employees

What is the most effective means of training?

Example

Good: Employee sits through several hours of a PowerPoint presentation

and signs off on training documents.

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Safety Training for temporary

employees

Better:

-Employee receives training based on a PowerPoint/video specific

to your company.

-Policies are explained with reasons behind them.

Safety Training for Temporary Employees

Better cont.

-Opportunity to ask questions are plentiful.

-Employees sign off on training documents.

-Care is taken to assure that each point is carefully explained and

understood before they are acknowledged.

Safety Training for temporary employees

Best:

-Employee receives training from company and temp agency specific

PowerPoint/Video or Computer Based training.

-Instructors are knowledgeable and can answer questions.

-Each component is explained and discussed.

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Safety Training for Temporary Employees

Best cont.

--Opportunities exist for participation or hands on learning.

--Policies are acknowledged in means that does not allow pencil

whipping.

Safety Training for Temporary Employees

Best cont.

-Policies are reiterated with the employee when they come on site, positive

reinforcement is given for safe behaviors.

-Employee receives a copy of basic company emergency procedures that

contains information on where things are located on your site.

Safety Training for temporary employees

Language Barriers

If a person does not understand English, and all of the training is in

English are we really training them?

Probably not!

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Your Temporary Employees arrive on site…..

For temporary employees, it is possible for them to be working at several

different locations during a weeks time.

Gauge your program to make a temporary employees assimilation

into your organization as painless as possible. A few suggestions would

include:

-Meet the supervisors

-Introduce them to the people they will be working with

-Explain the specific job they are performing

-Don’t forget to reiterate safety as it pertains to the tasks they will

be completing

-Show them where the break rooms, bathrooms, vending or

cafeteria may be located.

-Explain how to contact supervisors if a need should arise

Your temp employees arrive on site…..cont.

And above all else….

Treat your temporary employees with dignity

and respect.

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Group Activity

What about OSHA!

Some employers may think that because they are hiring a

temporary employee from an agency that this can provide

them additional protection from the long arm of the law.

Other considerations for your business

Security

By utilizing a temporary employee, essentially someone else is

determining who enters your facility.

We cannot always say that by utilizing a temporary employee you

are putting the security of your facility at risk, however you should

not allow yourself to become complacent.

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Security Musts

-Require temporary employees to display a name badge or temp

agency uniform.

-Keep items such as laptops and other expensive equipment put away when

not in use.

-Keep temporary employees from wandering around the facility during break

times, especially unoccupied office areas.

-Should vandalism occur, remove it or paint over it.

-Keep a location for employees to remove coats and backpacks away from

the area where work is performed.

-Treat temporary employees with respect, even though they may be suspect

to an issue.

Planning for the long-term……

Should your business utilize temporary labor for the long-term consider a

few items.

-Can you include a temporary employee on your safety committee?

-Think about what is motivating your temps? Is it just money or are

they looking for a career with your company.

-Trend leading and lagging indicators as it pertains to your

temporary employees, work with your agency to eliminate

unfavorable statistics.

Finally…….Put it to the test

Don’t forget to review the programs and policies that you have put into action.

Do not be afraid to make changes if it is necessary!

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Thank you

Any Questions?

Works cited:

Safety for temporary employees: whose job is it?

Dr. Scott Harris, Internet article. www.knowledgeatwork.com

The expanding role of temporary help services from 1990 to 2008

Tian Luo, Amar Mann and Richard Holden. Monthly labor review

August 2010.

In Search of Flexibility: Implications for Temporary Agency Workers and

Human Resource Management. Julia Connell and John Burgess

December 2002.