Who handles workplace safety when a business places a temporary worker?
OSHA says the staffing agency and host employer share responsibility for temporary-worker safety, with duties depending on the facts and who controls hazards. This is workplace-safety guidance, not an insurance allocation.
Agree in writing how the agency and host communicate hazards, training and incident reporting, then share that arrangement with the broker when describing the account.[1]
Ask separately which entity employs the worker, which policies list the work and locations, and how the contract allocates responsibilities. The OSHA source does not answer those policy questions.[1]
Read the Recruiting and Talent Insurance Buying Guide
Sources and Further Reading for Recruiting and Talent
- Protecting Temporary Workers — Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Staffing agency and host employer safety coordination; duties depend on facts and control. This is not insurance allocation.
OSHA guidance on staffing-agency and host-site safety coordination.
- Background Checks: What Employers Need to Know — Federal Trade Commission; joint guidance with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Employer/user responsibilities when obtaining employment information from a consumer reporting company, including notice, permission, certification and adverse-action steps.
FTC/EEOC employer-facing guidance on using consumer reports in hiring.
- Cybersecurity for Small Business — Federal Trade Commission. Supplier risk, response planning and cyber-insurance buyer questions. Educational guidance, not policy wording.
FTC cybersecurity guidance for vendor and data-risk questions.
- Cyber Insurance — Federal Trade Commission (content developed with NAIC and federal partners). First-party coverage, lines 46–77; third-party coverage, lines 78–102. Examples are not a promise for any policy.
- Small Business Insurance — National Association of Insurance Commissioners. BOP and exclusions; general liability and exclusions; professional liability, crime and cyber; business property. General educational descriptions, not policy terms.
- DWC Employer Information — California Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Workers’ Compensation. California employer workers compensation information; California-specific, including stated out-of-state employer examples.
- DWC FAQs for Employers — California Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Workers’ Compensation. Employer FAQ on California workers compensation requirements; one-or-more employee statement and separate sole-proprietor treatment.
Spot, a product of Tools for Enlightenment, publishes this guide and works in the commercial insurance market. This is general buyer education; policy terms and state-specific obligations determine coverage and requirements.
Updated 2026-09-28. Editorial Policy
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