Ambiguity surrounding responsibility for complying with health and safety standards in temporary employment arrangements can result in increased health and safety risks for temp workers in the workplace, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. And guidelines and policy have not kept pace with the growth in the temporary workforce.

A recent joint session of the National Occupational Research Agenda Manufacturing Sector and Services Sector Councils focused on temporary staffing issues as they pertain to employees in manufacturing and other hazardous industries.

OSHA representatives at the session emphasized that staffing agencies and host employers have joint responsibility for workers' safety and health. In fiscal year 2014, OSHA inspections regarding temporary workers resulted in 687 inspections where the host employer was cited, 66 inspections where the staffing agency was cited and 24 with both being cited.

The CDC discusses the session in full in a NIOSH Science blog post here.