Reporting injuries among temporary workers in the BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses

Background: The Bureau of Labor Statistics Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illness (SOII) is the US’s largest occupational injury and illness surveillance system. Each year, the BLS publishes national and state-level estimates of nonfatal work-related injuries based on the OSHA injury and illness records submitted by a sample of employers.   Although several studies have found that sampled employers underreport cases in SOII, less is known about whether the underreporting is systematic or random. One potential area for systematic underreporting is among temporary workers, an increasing segment of the workforce. 

Methods: We conducted a telephone survey with respondents to the 2011 Washington State SOII sample to assess the establishment’s reliance on temporary help and whether injuries among temporary workers were recorded in the host employer’s injury and illness records (as required by the OSHA recordkeeping regulations).  Respondents were selected by industry, ownership, and establishment size to be representative of the state’s SOII-eligible employer population. 

Results: Of the 642 establishments interviewed, 30% utilized temporary help arranged through a temporary staffing agency.  Half of the establishments that hosted and supervised temporary workers did not record injuries among temps on the establishment’s OSHA log, nor did they report the injuries in SOII. Establishments in Transportation and Warehousing, Education, and Health Care and Social Assistance were least likely to record injuries among temporary workers.

Conclusions: Injuries among temporary workers are not captured by SOII.  BLS and OSHA should consider changes to forms, instructions, and education materials to emphasize host employers’ recordkeeping responsibilities.