Temporary Employees

Many departments and groups regularly or occasionally employ temporary staff. This may include seasonal employees hired to accomplish specific tasks at certain times of the year, paid internships, or individuals hired to fill in for regular employees on leave.

In many cases, temporary employees require safety training or information from the department and/or Environmental Health and Safety. The following guidelines should help managers determine the level of training or information needed:

All Employees

• Emergency Information - the Department or Group should ensure that all temporary employees know what to do in the event of an emergency, including evacuation procedures and information from the Department or Building Emergency Action Plan and the emergency number, 911.

Service Staff

• Temporary employees who will be conducting maintenance or janitorial work should receive training commensurate with their responsibilities, including:
  • Hazard Communication Training for those working with hazardous chemicals
  • Asbestos Awareness for those conducting work that could disturb materials of construction that might contain asbestos
  • Noise and Hearing Conservation Training for those working in high noise environments or with high noise equipment.
    
• For seasonal staff, EHS offers Seasonal Employee Safety Training, which includes all of the topics listed above, as well as other relevant information.
  
• Staff who will be working at the University for a very short period of time, such that formal training is not feasible, may benefit from the Very Temporary Employee brochure offered by EHS.

Laboratory Workers

• Temporary employees or interns who will be working in research laboratories must attend Laboratory Safety Training. If the person will only be in the workplace for less than a week, please consult Robin Izzo at 258-6259.
  
• Children ages 15 and under are prohibited from working in labs, paid or unpaid.
  
• High school students, ages 16 or 17, must be approved to work in the lab, paid or unpaid. See High School Students in the Lab for a description of this process.
  
• Temporary staff who will use radioactive materials or radiation-producing equipment must receive the appropriate training. Any individual working in a laboratory where radioactive materials are used, even if he or she will not be working with radioactive materials personally, must receive training. If this is problematic, please contact Sue Dupre at 258-6252.

For more information or assistance, contact EHS at 258-5294.