ABSTRACT
Introduction An explosion killing 23 and injuring 232 workers in Pasadena, Texas (October 1989), triggered a study into the characteristic safety practices and employment conditions governing contract workers who performed maintenance, renovation, turnaround and specialised services in the U.S. petrochemical industry. The ndings by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) identied some prevalent characteristics that are relevant across a broader base of operations utilising a contractor workforce. The study examined the following:
• The prevalence and trends in the use of contract workers • The motivation for using contract workers • The role of safety and health in the selection of contractors • The safety and health training received by contract workers • The responsibility and methods of safety oversight of contract work-
ers, and • The injury/illness experiences of contract and direct-hire ( permanent)
workers (Wells, J.C., Kochan, T.A., and Smith, M., 1991).
