According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 856 workplace fatalities involving contracted workers in 2016. That is about 16.5 percent of all workplace deaths throughout America in that year. A contracted worker is someone who is employed by one company but is controlled by another. Contracted workers may be vulnerable to injury or death because they aren’t familiar with their environment and the issues that they could encounter.
Furthermore, employers don’t always think of temporary workers as a part of their overall workforce. Instead, they think of them as a separate component of the workforce, which may mean that they don’t receive proper training or other resources. Ideally, temporary workers will be treated by an organization the same as anyone else who is employed by a company.
A temporary worker could also be at risk of getting hurt if there is a lack of communication. In some cases, individuals can be assigned tasks that are off-limits in the original placement agreement. If a temporary worker is too afraid to speak up, it could put that person in a precarious position. Some workers may feel as if they have a chance to prove themselves and earn a permanent position, so they will accept potential risks to their safety.
Those who are hurt in an on-the-job accident may be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits. These benefits may be available either permanently or on a temporary basis. This largely depends on how severe the injury is and if a person can return to work. An attorney may assist with a workers’ compensation case in an effort to help an injured employee obtain a favorable outcome. In some cases, this might include taking an employer to court or engaging in informal private talks.