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Real Questions To Ask About Screening For Safety

You’ve heard the screening for safety claims and statements made by staffing companies. Everyone says they have your safety interests in mind. Statements like: “Thousands of screened applicants…” or “Workers have the all skills…” or “We supply the safety equipment…” “We manage all your occupational risk…” These claims sound good, but do they pass the test of least astonishment?

Here’s where many of these claims break down, and questions you should ask when you hear red flags:

When you hear “thousands of screened applicants” you should be wondering about the process.  It’s easy to screen applicants into the workforce pool. However, the savvy company wants to know how many applicants are screened out? If the answer to the second question is zero, or your staffing firm has no idea, that should raise your concern.

Of course, workers must “have all the skills.” You should be thinking about training. What is your staffing firm doing to train the workforce with new skills? Are they working with you to identify behaviors and attitudes in temporary employees that can grow with your company, as it’s skill needs change?

If an employee is given new PPE (personal protective equipment) for a temporary assignment, are you asking if the skill required includes knowledge about the use of PPE to perform the work correctly and safely? You should be. Issuing equipment doesn’t mean the applicant can use it in the way it is intended.

When a staffing company says they manage all your occupational risk for workers compensation, you might wonder how they do this alone? Ask what they do specifically as your partner to ensure a safe, accident and injury free work place. Your own internal counsel may shed more light on law and regulatory requirements.

There are three things that separate leaders from the rest of temporary staffing agencies.  Three things that Barton Staffing Solutions implements that debunk these marketing claims include:

  1. New client safety inspection. Leaders require job site safety inspection a prerequisite to signing on. If your site is not safe enough for the staffing firm, you will/should want to know about it. Don’t just keep looking for a staffing firm that will allow unsafe practices to persist in the workplace.
  2. Screening is about safety. What is the ratio of screened in to screened out candidates? Do applicants have to take a safety test? Do they sign off on their knowledge and skill level for both job function and safety – including the proper use and maintenance of, PPE.
  3. Training programs required. Screening is only effective with training. What other programs does the staffing agency provide and deliver to train, test and certify temporary workers aligned with your workplace requirements.

In the end, it’s important to know that the best staffing agency will be your partner. Together, you can manage and reduce risk in your workplace. Screening is about both finding qualified applicants, but also removing weak, higher risk, applicants from the assignment list in order to meet your company’s regulatory requirements for safety.

Call Barton Staffing Solutions today and discuss with our Full Time Safety Manager how we can help you understand what screening for safety is all about. We want to help you develop objective ways that deliver on your company goals by using temporary staffing.

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