Regulatory Responses to OHS Problems Posed by Direct-hire Temporary Workers in Australia

By Michael Quinlan

There has been a substantial increase in temporary employment (also known as casual work) in Australia and other industrialised countries over the past 25 years.

There is substantial international evidence that temporary workers can be at greater risk of suffering a work-related injury or other adverse OHS outcome than permanent workers. This article reviews awareness and responses to these problems among regulatory agencies in Australia. The review was based on extensive interviews with officers and analysis of agency material undertaken in 2001-2002. Findings indicate that there is a growing awareness of the particular problems encountered by temporary workers but that, with some notable exceptions, measures aimed to address this have been focused on the labour-hire industry rather than direct-hire temporary workers. As direct-hire temporary workers far outnumber those employed by labour-hire agencies, this represents a significant gap in government agency responses to the OHS problems posed by contingent work arrangements that need to be addressed.

(CCH Journal of Occupational Health and Safety Australia and New Zealand, vol. 20, no 3, June 2004)