It's Tough Being a Temp
Every minute you can give to their orientation gives temporary workers the tools to be safe and most productive.
SAFETY
professionals know the importance of providing orientation training to
recently hired workers, but what about temporary labor? Given the fast pace of
industry these days, providing training for large numbers of "temps" can be a
daunting task but is well worth the effort. Not only is safety training required
by law, it addresses some very real concerns.
According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
(NIOSH), workers with less than 90 days on the job have a far higher incident
rate for injuries than seasoned workers. Given that fact, we have to realize
temporary workers need the same level of training that is provided to other "new
hires." Recently, two episodes gave me a unique perspective in this area--in my
position as the safety leader when my employer had to bring in some temporary
help and, then, working weekends as a temp for some much-needed cash.
As a safety specialist for a chemical manufacturing plant in Los Angeles
County, I have always made it a point to provide safety orientation training for
new hires to show them around and inform them about the three main safety
programs: Injury and Illness Prevention, Emergency Planning, and Hazard
Communication. Such training provides the tools they need to reduce the risk of
injury and ensures they know their role in emergency situations. Recently, we
found it necessary to bring in temporary labor to complete some in-house
projects. For my own peace of mind, I requested and was granted the time to
conduct the required training.
Knowing in advance that our temps would be supervised and would not be
working in the production area, I had to consider only what would be necessary
as far as training them. I met with them on their first day and informed them of
the basics--general information on the chemicals present in the workplace, the
basics of injury prevention, and emergency response--before a tour of the
facility. I informed them about evacuation procedures, the presence of hazardous
materials, and general information. Most important, I instructed them on what
not to do. There are several potentially hazardous substances in the
production area, and the best advice and instruction I could give them was to
stay out of areas where they were not to be assigned to work.
This shortened presentation took only about an hour, but I had some
confidence I had given them the knowledge to keep them from harm, even in the
event of an emergency. Later, I would see how important even this little bit of
information could be when it comes to providing peace of mind in strange
surroundings.
My Temp Experience
Recently, I found myself in need of some
additional income and needed a part-time job. "Just temporary," I told myself as
I set out to find something I could fit into my existing schedule. I applied to
a local agency that was in the last phases of putting together a temp crew for a
major retail chain operating out of a large warehouse in my area. The agency
provided basic training and informed us where to report for the assignment, the
first night of which would be for more specific, on-the-job training. I pictured
spending that first night sitting in a classroom being bored, but it turned out
to be something quite different.
I should mention that I was brought in at the last minute, and two days of
orientation training had been conducted before the first night I reported for
work. I have no idea what was involved in this training, so the others brought
in with this group of about 25 mostly young, mostly Hispanic workers may have
received more information than I did. I hope this was the case, because my first
night of "training" involved loading a tractor-trailer with hanging clothes and
pallets of merchandise.
So much for training! It was hard work but not really a problem for me--I'm
in fair shape and saw it as a chance for a much-needed workout. I was more
concerned that I had not received basic instruction as part of my initiation to
the workplace. For one thing, the warehouse was huge. I had no idea where I was
most of the time, let alone where the nearest exit was. I struggled to get to
and from much-needed breaks on time and at times had to search for a restroom.
It appeared I had "slipped through the cracks" in their training program, and I
wondered how that could happen.
I was assigned to the sorting area on the second night. Here, the freight
came down a conveyor and was sorted for stacking onto pallets. My background
allowed me to identify the major hazards of my new work environment: conveyor
belts, heavy lifting, and the use of a hand-held laser. I was trained by another
temporary worker who made no mention of how to avoid injuries commonly caused by
these hazards. I wondered how many of their workers had been, or would be,
injured over the course of time, considering how little information was provided
to me and (I assumed) to the other members of the group. As I indicated earlier,
most of the men on this crew were younger than 25, and I doubted that they had,
at that age, much experience in such a workplace. It was a strange feeling
knowing these hazards existed and I was unable to do anything about them. There
really were no lines of communication with management about the hazards I
perceived. I felt as though I was working "under cover," with no higher-ups to
whom I could report my findings and observations. The Christmas merchandise had
to be distributed and time was a major factor; the rate at which material came
off of the conveyor was evidence of that. But I truly worried that the
less-informed were being exposed to hazards they had no conception of.
This article originally appeared in the May 2005 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.