Safe Work Australia have released a new guide Labour Hire: Duties of Persons Conducting a Business or Undertaking which is now available for download from their website.

The guide has practical information for labour hire and host PCBUs on their roles before and during the placement of labour hire workers.

Labour hire often involves a host organisation using workers from a labour hire agency, for a short period of time. These arrangements are sometimes referred to as “on-hire” or “agency” arrangements.

Typically, labour hire workers are engaged by a labour hire agency which then on-hires them to do work for another organisation (the host organisation). Both the labour hire agency and the host organisation are persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs) responsible for the health and safety of the labour hire worker.

Labour hire arrangements can be complex. Sometimes, there may be more than one labour hire PCBU or host PCBU. Labour hire PCBUs and host PCBUs must work together in a cooperative and coordinated way so risks are eliminated or minimised so far as is reasonably practicable. A PCBU cannot contract out of or transfer their work health and safety obligations to another party.

Businesses using or providing labour hire should read the guide for information about their WHS responsibilities and consider how the model WHS laws apply to them.

For more information and to download the labour hire guide, please visit the Safe Work Australia website.

Source: Safe Work Australia, 16 August 2019