Providing temporary workers with the same Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) as other employees is a legal obligation and an important safety measure.
The distribution of PPE must be followed by careful management, including regular checks, safety inspections, reminders, and adequate training. Protecting these temporary workers does not represent an additional cost if the management of their PPE allocations is rigorous.
It’s important to ensure that all members of your team are treated equitably, regardless of their status. This includes access to the same types of Personal Protective Equipment for all wearers, including temporary workers.
When a temporary worker is hired to work in your company, they must receive the same PPE as other employees, with the same protective properties, meeting the same standards, in accordance with current legislation. This may include equipment such as helmets, goggles, gloves, safety shoes, protective glasses, respiratory masks… Not just those provided by the temp agency, sometimes unsuitable for the risks incurred for the assignment given to the temporary worker.
The main goal of PPE is to protect temporary workers from risks related to their work in the host company. This may include physical risks such as falls, injuries, burns, or cuts.
By providing appropriate PPE to all workers, including temporary workers, you contribute to ensuring their safety and well-being, as well as reducing the risk of accidents or injuries in the workplace. This can also help maintain a high level of motivation and engagement from workers, showing them that their safety is a priority for the company.
The Responsibility to Provide Compliant PPE
It’s important to note that the responsibility to provide compliant PPE rests not only on the company itself but also on the temporary employment agency supplying the temporary workers. Both parties must work together to ensure that workers have access to quality PPE in sufficient quantity.
In summary, equipping temporary workers with the same PPE as other employees of the company is a legal obligation and an important safety measure, respecting individuals. It also shows that the company cares about the safety and well-being of all its workers, regardless of their status or contract. If the temp agency does not provide the required equipment by the company, it is up to the latter to make the necessary arrangements.
Training and Useful Feedback for Using PPE
It is also important to provide training tailored to the use of PPE in the company before assigning the planned mission to temporary workers. This can include safety training sessions, instructions on the correct use of each piece of equipment, their maintenance, their inspection, and practical demonstrations to show how to wear and use the PPE.
Moreover, it is important to collect feedback from temporary workers on the distributed PPE. This can help identify issues related to wearing and using the equipment under the conditions provided by the company and also to make improvements to ensure optimal protection.
PPE Distribution: A Crucial Step for Temporary Workers
The distribution of PPE to temporary workers is a crucial step for the employer. First, it allows for a mutual check on the list of protective equipment provided and to be returned at the end of the mission. It is also an opportunity to answer the temporary worker’s questions about the modalities of using them to avoid misuse that can lead to a risk instead of providing last-resort protection.
In summary, the distribution of PPE to temporary workers is a crucial step to ensure their safety at their workplace. It is important to monitor the use of equipment, provide adequate training on their correct use, and collect feedback to make improvements if necessary. Tracking the distribution of equipment and their return ensures virtuous management. By doing this, you ensure that all carriers in your company are optimally protected. Remember, the employer is responsible for accidents to its employees, but also to temporary workers and external service providers who work on its premises. It engages its criminal responsibility in case of a serious accident.
What About INDIVIDUAL Protective Equipment ?
It’s important to note that PPE is initially designed for individual use. PPE must be adjusted to fit each wearer’s specificities, including size, morphology, and individual protection needs. When PPE is used, it is adjusted to provide optimal protection. If the employer controls the equipment’s compliance, ensures their good hygienic and usable condition, and manages them well, there’s nothing to prevent their reuse to guarantee protection for other people.
It’s not necessary to replenish new equipment if protection is maintained and compliance tracking is rigorous. Contrary to popular belief, discarding PPE already used by a temporary worker at the end of a mission is not good practice. Many companies minimize the protection of temporary workers for cost reasons, even though the same level of protection is necessary to be protected from the same risks, regardless of the person concerned.
Conditions for Reusing PPE for Other Temporary Workers
The reuse of PPE from temporary workers for other employees is possible if the employer guarantees the tracking of equipment compliance and their good usable and hygienic condition. It’s even a good practice seen on the ground when carriers work in teams because there’s no reason to minimize the protection of temporary workers for cost reasons.
It’s more economical to reuse quality PPE if they are compliant for the work to be done because their lifespan is longer than first-price PPE. It’s even rewarding for the temporary worker who feels integrated into the company that entrusts them with a mission for a short duration.
