agency worker induction responsibilities host agency

Direct answer. A temporary worker's supplier and the host business should agree the job's risks, required skills and controls before placement, then ensure the worker receives the information and induction needed for the actual host workplace. The supplier should obtain the host's risk and job information, check that the person is suitable and pass relevant information to them before they start. The host, which usually directs day-to-day work and controls the premises, is best placed to explain local hazards, safe methods, emergency arrangements and supervision. HSE says both parties must communicate and must not simply assume the other has dealt with safety. A generic agency certificate or a one-line “inducted” flag is not enough if the worker has not understood the assignment-specific controls. HSE guidance on supplier and end-user roles.

This is a Great Britain health-and-safety handover guide. It is different from the UK immigration-law question of which party carries out a right to work check, covered by the proposed agency right to work responsibility guide. That cross-link must remain unpublished until the proposed route is integrated. Northern Ireland safety law and HSENI guidance need their own check.

“Agency worker” can describe more than one arrangement

HSE distinguishes an employment agency that introduces someone who is then employed by the host from an employment business that supplies a worker who remains in a contractual relationship with the business during assignments. Umbrella and multi-tier arrangements can be more complex. Contract labels do not remove the need for the host and supplier to identify who controls the workplace, who employs or engages the person, and who will provide each part of information, training and supervision. HSE definitions.

In practice the host commonly directs the assignment and controls the site. HSE says day-to-day health-and-safety responsibility during work often lies with the end-user business for that reason; suppliers still have responsibilities before and during placement. If an agency only introduces a recruit who becomes the host's employee, the host's ordinary employee duties apply. Treat the actual model as the starting point rather than using one template for all staffing arrangements. HSE roles of suppliers and end users.

What the host should tell the supplier before placement

A useful assignment description is not just “warehouse operative, Monday 8 am.” It should tell the supplier what the person will do, where, with which equipment, the level of supervision, relevant hazards and controls, the competence and qualifications needed, and any health-surveillance or exposure issues. HSE says the supplier must liaise with the host to identify what could cause injury or illness, assess the likelihood of harm and agree actions to control the risks before the work starts. The supplier must obtain clear information about duties, required skills/experience/qualifications and relevant risk controls, including how to raise concerns. HSE guidance.

The host should name the supervisor who will receive the worker, what induction will be delivered locally, who provides personal protective equipment, and how the worker will report a near miss, injury or unsafe condition. For shift work or short placements, plan this before the worker turns up: the short duration does not remove the risk, and a night-shift arrival may have less access to the people who normally induct new starters.

If the role changes after placement, tell the supplier. A worker recruited for packing should not be moved onto powered plant, cleaning chemicals or lone work because they “seem capable.” Reassess the new task's risk, required competence and instruction, and record any decision or additional supervision. HSE training overview.

What the supplier should verify and pass on

The supplier should match the worker to the host's requirements: experience, qualification or licence where relevant, ability to understand instructions and any job-specific limitations that need proper handling. It should convey the host's material safety information to the worker before the assignment. It should also know how the worker can ask questions and report a concern. HSE warns that a supplier should never send a person to a job unless satisfied their safety will be protected. HSE supplier and end-user roles.

This does not mean the supplier can deliver a meaningful induction for a site it has never seen, nor that a host can offload all task training by asking the supplier for “fully trained staff.” The parties can divide activities, but the division must reflect who knows and controls each risk. A supplier can confirm a forklift operator's previous training; the host must still explain its trucks, pedestrians, routes, loading areas, defect process and supervision.

For roles involving vulnerable people, specialist machinery, hazardous substances or public-facing risk, ask for the evidence actually required for that role and location. Do not accept an unrelated certificate because it has the word “safety” on it. HSE describes competence as a mix of training, skills, experience and ability to apply them in the job. HSE competence guidance.

A first-day host induction that reflects the work

At arrival, verify the person against the named placement and introduce the supervisor. Explain the work area, safe route, fire and emergency arrangements, first aid, welfare, relevant site rules, work equipment and prohibited tasks, incident reporting, PPE, stop-work escalation and who to contact. For a worker with limited English or unfamiliarity with the process, check understanding in a suitable way rather than equating a signature with comprehension. HSE's new-starter FAQ for agency workers says hosts must share qualification and risk information with agencies and treat agency new starters with the same safety attention as employees.

The induction can be proportionate. A two-hour receptionist placement in a low-risk office will not need the same technical briefing as maintenance inside an operating plant. But an “everyone watched the corporate video” approach may miss host-specific controls even in an ordinary workplace. If the person will work on a construction site, use the additional CDM site-specific induction requirements; the proposed site-transfer guide addresses that narrower context and is a future-route link until integration. HSE CDM site induction.

If equipment or tasks require practical familiarisation, have a competent person demonstrate and observe safe use. Identify the limit before release: the worker can perform listed tasks independently, only under supervision, or not yet. Document the supervisor's decision and any follow-up. Do not use a software “ready” status as a substitute for this judgement.

A handover checklist both parties can actually use

Before placement, confirm: named worker and supplier; job and site; hazards and control measures; qualification/experience required; work equipment; supervision; PPE provision; relevant health-surveillance requirements; induction owner; emergency and concern-reporting route; and a contact for changes or incidents. Mark each item supplier to confirm, host to deliver or joint. An agreement with named contacts works better than a clause saying “the other party is responsible.”

After arrival, keep: worker identity/placement confirmation, host induction date and content, the person who delivered it, any task-specific training or demonstration, restrictions, supervisor and release decision. If a worker is replaced mid-shift, reopen the handover for the replacement. Store the minimum personal data required for safety and contractual evidence; do not copy unrelated immigration or medical files into every host system.

During placement, the host should tell the supplier about changed tasks, new hazards, incidents, concerns or a worker who seems unsuitable for the assigned work. The supplier should be reachable and act on that information. HSE stresses continuing cooperation because assignments can create risks beyond ordinary hazards, including lone work, long or unsocial hours, fatigue and high demand. HSE supplier and end-user roles.

Example: short-notice factory cover

A factory asks an employment business for two temporary production workers for the next morning. The host sends the task description, training needs, machine restrictions, pedestrian routes, shift supervisor and emergency controls. The supplier checks the candidates' relevant experience and communicates those risks before placement. On arrival, the host confirms the two named people, inducts them to the actual line, demonstrates the permitted tasks and makes clear that neither may clear a machine jam. The supervisor records the induction and restriction. If the factory later needs one person to operate different machinery, it reassesses capability and provides training before changing the assignment. This is a practical division of effort; it is not a claim that a particular contract transfers statutory responsibility.

Common mistakes

• The host sends only job title and shift hours, leaving the supplier unable to assess suitability.
• The supplier sends a “trained worker” with no explanation of what training covered.
• The host assumes an agency briefing covered a workplace the agency has never inspected.
• The worker signs an induction sheet but cannot explain the emergency arrangements or prohibited tasks.
• A different person arrives and inherits the first person's placement and training record.
• The host changes the task without telling the supplier or reassessing risk.
• Safety induction and the separate right to work check are confused as one process.
• A software status is represented as a legal or professional competence decision.

Where Complys fits

Complys worker compliance software can be evaluated as a place to organise worker training and induction records; the contractor onboarding owner may be relevant where a supplier relationship is managed. The current marketing pages make broader passport, QR and automatic-ready claims that this draft deliberately does not repeat without current implementation proof. Neither product replaces the supplier–host conversation, the on-site induction or a supervisor's release decision.

Next step: before the next agency shift, ask the host and supplier to exchange the actual job risks and required competence, name who will deliver the workplace induction and confirm the worker's permitted tasks on arrival.

Primary sources

• HSE, Health and safety for gig, agency and temporary workers: roles of suppliers and end-user businesses.
• HSE, definitions of agency, employment business and temporary worker; agency-worker new-starter FAQ; competence guidance.
• HSE, site rules and induction under CDM for the construction-specific branch.

Reviewed 4 October 2026. Great Britain safety context; legal duties depend on the actual employment and workplace arrangement.