Temporary Safety Staffing – A Primer – Part 1 of 2

Your firm may need a safety professional either full- or part-time, but you dont want to commit the time and expense and risk of hiring additional staff.

At various times, your company may find itself with a spike in workload or faced with a special project that your existing staff isnt equipped to handle. These short-term needs arent well-served by increasing your fixed payroll costs. In todays economic climate, no one wants to add permanent staff for what may be a limited time. A key advantage of using temporary staffing is being able to quickly replace an individual should (s)he not work out (you know how inconvenient that is with a direct hire) or during illness ensuring that your safety program maintains continuity.

If you have an unsatisfactory turnover rate with your in-house safety staff, your firm needs a consistent team to meet corporate requirements.

Turnover of safety staff always happens at the wrong time. You dont want to find yourself exposed while scrambling to find the right replacement. For some, a temporary placement provides an interim solution while going through the hiring process. Others might find the experience and professionalism they need in that temporary professional, and it can turn out to be a permanent answer.

Your organization may not have a full-time safety professional; instead delegating safety management responsibilities to a key manager.

I havent heard of a manager who is thrilled to be given additional responsibilities, especially when theyre not core to his job description and experience. The result may be that performance in both areas suffers, reducing productivity; and in the case of safety management, increased risk. Outsourcing your safety program allows your company to be a lean organization, paying only for the time used; and in most cases resulting in improved performance across the board.