Safety training for temporary-agency workers at host worksites

September 21, 2000

William J. Banaszak

Worksite Safety Trainer

American Red Cross

[Recipient address omitted]

Dear Mr. Banaszak:

Thank you for your November 10, 1999 letter to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), [Directorate of Enforcement Programs (DEP)]. Please be aware that this response may not be applicable to any questions or scenarios not delineated within your original correspondence. You had questions regarding the training obligations of Temporary Employment Agencies and host employers. We apologize for the delay in responding.

Although the host employers would, in most situations, provide the workplace-specific training that is necessary and appropriate for the employees' job assignments and tasks, the temporary agency employer would still have the responsibility to ensure that the employees had been properly trained. Therefore, if a host employer provides any training, the temporary agency employer would have to have a reasonable basis for assessing that the host employer's training is adequate.

Enclosed is a copy of the OSHA compliance directive [not reproduced on OSHA’s page] (OSHA Instruction [CPL 02-00-124 (formerly CPL 2-0.124)]) on Multi-Employer Citation Policy, which was issued on December 10, 1999. We hope you will find this directive, with its many examples, helpful.

Thank you for your interest in occupational safety and health. Please be aware that the enforcement guidance contained in this response represents the views of OSHA at the time the letter was written based on the facts of specific questions, and is subject to periodic review and clarification, amplification, or correction. It could also be affected by subsequent rulemaking; past interpretations may no longer be applicable. In the future, should you wish to verify that the guidance provided herein remains current, you may consult OSHA's website at http://www.osha.gov. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact the [Office of General Industry Enforcement at (202) 693-1850].

Sincerely,

Richard E. Fairfax, Director

[Directorate of Enforcement Programs]

[Corrected 6/2/2005]