Washington State passes a new law, SHB 1206, that requires staffing agencies and host employers to coordinate their safety training for temporary workers. This law takes effect July 25, 2021, and applies to temporary workers assigned to industries in sectors 31 through 33 (manufacturing) and 23 (construction) of the North American industry classification system (NAICS). If these NAICS codes cover your organization and you obtain temporary workers through a staffing agency, these are the steps you’ll need to take before they begin working for you:
- Document anticipated job hazards that the worker will likely encounter and inform the staffing agency of the hazards;
- Review the staffing agency’s general safety and health awareness training to verify whether it addresses hazards for your industry;
- Provide specific safety training tailored to the particular hazards at your workplace; and
- Document the site-specific training and send confirmation within three business days of the training to the staffing agency. You must also retain a record of the training.
If host employers change the temporary worker’s job tasks or work location, causing them to encounter new hazards, you must notify both the staffing agency and the worker. In addition, you must update the personal protective equipment and training for the new job tasks, if necessary. The staffing agency and the temporary worker may refuse a new job task if you haven’t reviewed the task or provided appropriate training.
The new law also forbids retaliation against temporary employees who report safety concerns.