Posts in Category: Human Resources

Questions to Ask Safety Staffing Agencies

Hiring a safety special agency is an efficient and cost effective ways for companies to comply with OHSA regulations. Instead of spending time and money with a complex recruitment process, they outsource the safety specialist position to a company which provides qualified and skilled staff.

At this basic level, things appear extremely simple: go online, find a safety staffing agency near you and hire it. In reality, things are more complex than that. First of all, not all agencies are equal. Some of them have been on the market for many years and have a large roster of safety specialists to assign to their clients. Others are newly incorporated and still in the development phase. Also, you may fall victim to scammers.

How Do You Identify a Reliable Safety Staffing Agency?

Before you actually contact a safety staffing agency, you can look for elements indicating its reliability and professionalism. First of all, check if it is BBB accredited. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is a government agency that offers ratings to companies based on various positive and negative factors, such as annual turnover, customer complaints, lawsuits, financial position, etc.

Secondly, check the company name on Google. You will get an information box containing information about the business, such as its website, physical address, business category, opening hours, etc. You will also find a rating – the maximum being 5 stars – calculated by Google based on the ratings left by customers.

Last but not least, check for testimonials on the company website. Once you are fairly satisfied that you found reputable safety staffing agencies, you can schedule an initial meetings with them.

safety staffing agencies - questions to ask

What Questions You Must Ask during the First Meeting

To avoid wasting time, you should be able to get a set of details about the company activity and the personnel they work with. Here are the questions you should ask the safety staffing agency representative during the initial discussion:

  1. What Area of Safety Do You Specialize In?

Each industry has specific safety standards. For example, the food industry focuses on avoiding contamination and preventing sick employees from getting in contact with any raw ingredients or finished products.

Professional safety staffing agencies usually specialize in one or two industries, with similar regulations and restrictions. In the example above, the food and pharmaceutical industries have similar safety standards and high levels of regulation.

  1. How Do You Screen Employees?

When you hire a safety special agency, you will not have the opportunity to screen an employee. You will receive a brief for the recommended person, including highlights of their CV.

However, you must make sure that you bring certified professional into your company, with no restrictions in performing their job duties. Thus, the staffing agency should show transparency in showing you what background checks they perform before they hire a person.

  1. What If an Employee Is Not a Good Fit for My Company?

How soon will the staffing agency replace the person with a new safety specialist? Will you be able to discuss the issue, so that the staffing agency understands why their employee was not a good fit? What kind of compensation are you entitled to if any legal problems occur during the time the respective person is working for your company?

  1. What Are Your Fees?

Last but not least, make sure that you afford the fees of the safety staffing agency. Usually, the more specialized their employees are, the higher the monthly fee will be.