By Ruth Kiefer, Loss Control Manager, ARM

With the ever tightening labor force and your need to fulfill orders and production, more of you are turning to a temp agency to fill this need. So what are your obligations to this temporary worker? Or to your new hires for that matter? I’m here to tell you that there is no longer an experienced workforce, or the days where you can find a good lathe operator, someone who knows the ins and outs of the presses in your shops. Those days are gone, the good ones are already working or retired, so you are left with inexperienced workers to choose from. As you know, schools no longer have in house training programs, it’s now left to you, the businesses to do the training, to create and form the “experienced worker”. It’s now on you to educate the younger workers entering the manufacturing sector.

First let’s start off with your obligation to temporary workers and new hires in your shops. You must train them, just verbally telling them how to run a machine is not adequate training, nor is handing them a sheet of paper to read. You also cannot rely upon the temp agency to provide training either, since they have generic templates that most likely will not apply to your facility. So now you must invest in the time to educate them, to use the videos we have available along with the training programs we offer you. According to MIOSHA, you must provide adequate training.

So what is adequate training you might ask? It’s allowing the new hire to ask questions, educate them on the hazards of the shop and equipment in the shop, you might think it’s obvious, but remember, you’re not hiring anyone with shop experience. They have never been in your shop, they may have never seen a press, a lathe, or a bender. They are getting used to the noises and smells that you are already accustomed to. Your temporary employees must attend the same safety orientation as your new hires, they are your responsibility while they are in your shop, you’re telling them what to do, and you should also inform them of the hazards. They are trusting that you are going to provide a safe workplace, which you can only do if they understand what they are doing and the hazards of the job. You need to understand the importance of why the training is needed, here are two examples why:

Last week I conducted an accident investigation where a temp employee just lost a hand in a press. Why? It wasn’t set up correctly, he wasn’t trained on the hazards of the press. He had been on the job only FOUR HOURS, and for the rest of his life, his left hand is gone. The staffing agency failed, and so did the host employer. Neither one adequately trained the new hire on the hazards of the job. Remember, he has never been in this facility before, he’s trusting that you are doing everything safe for him.

And, for the second example, A temp employee died when he and the forklift he was driving fell between the truck and the loading dock and crushed him. Why? He wasn’t trained, the host employer didn’t take the time to train him on loading safety. The trucks wheels were not chocked and when he went to go into the truck, it crept forward, and he along with his fork-truck went into the well. Again, the staffing agency and the host employer failed the temporary employee by providing inadequate training.

So, what can you do? How can you make sure your temps and new hires are safe? Work with your staffing agency to provide the necessary training. Invite them out to see what types of jobs you will need filled and then create a safety training program. The tools are there for you to use, our videos are available, our safety programs are at your fingertips, use them, they are there for you. When new hires or temps are on the floor, make your managers more accountable, have them involved in the training as well, make sure they check on the new hires and temps. This may be their first time in a manufacturing facility, you no longer have the “experienced employee”, and they are all going to require training and assistance. The burden is now on the manufacturer, you as the employer and the staffing company. So please, if you want us to review the training you or your temp agency is using, we will review it, all you have to do is ask. We are there to assist you in providing a safe and productive workplace in this new environment of less skilled and unskilled workers.