


Portugal
inspection campaign

Health and safety for temporary workers
- Duration: 2017
- Sector: temporary work sector
- Number of inspected entities: 635
- Number of labour inspectors engaged in the campaign activities: 169

The main objective of the inspections carried out as part of the campaign was to ensure that temporary workers have, in terms of health and safety, the same level of protection as other workers employed by the user establishment. The campaign activities mainly covered the following entities: temporary work agencies, temporary workers, user companies and occupational health and safety services. The strategic aim of the campaign was to stimulate a risk prevention culture in the working environment of temporary workers, to promote safety and good practices in the hiring and reception of temporary workers and to reduce the number of accidents for this group of workers in the workplace.

The priority area of the campaign was selected on the basis of the database on accidents at work, proposals from trade unions in sectors of activity where temporary work is most commonly used, e.g. trade unions in the construction industry, trade unions in the HORECA sector, the EU Strategic Framework on Health and Safety at Work 2021-2027, the recommendations of the ILO – Strategic Policy Framework 2010-15, the Decent Work Agenda, as well as on the basis of complaints made by workers. Specific economic sectors have been defined as a priority area for the campaign. The number of entities to be inspected was established centrally in the action plan. The selection of the specific entities to be inspected was the responsibility of the local labour inspection centres, which took into account certain criteria: the results of the inspections to date, including the irregularities found so far and the number of complaints and reported accidents at work. The number of entities to be inspected in individual local inspection centres was also influenced by the number of labour inspectors employed in these centres.

Two inspections were carried out at one entity during the campaign. The duration of the inspection activities carried out at the inspected entity was no more than 2 hours. The duration of activities at the labour inspection office was between 2 and 4 hours. Nearly all inspectors (at least 80%) were involved in the inspection activities. At the inspectors' disposal during the inspection activities were: rationale and description of the inspection activities, checklists, examples of reactive actions to be taken upon identification of typical cases of incompliance, manuals of good practice regarding issues covered by the inspection activities, promotional and communication materials for employers.
The employees of the Inspective Activity Coordination Department were mainly involved in monitoring and coordination activities. They assisted labour inspectors in solving problems and monitored the level of implementation of the quantitative plan.
Cooperation between the labour inspectorate and the employers' unions was initiated at the planning stage and before the start of the inspection activities. As the campaign was preceded by an awareness-raising information campaign, the inspected establishments received recommendations after the inspection activities were completed in accordance with normal inspection procedures.

The effects of the campaign were assessed by the number and type of legal measures issued by labour inspectors and implemented by employers after inspections. Employers provided information on measures taken after inspections. 100 % of entities were covered by follow-up inspections. A partial evaluation of the campaign was conducted in October 2017. Following the campaign, an internal report was prepared and disseminated internally (electronically) and externally on the labour inspection website (ACT).