Keep All Workers Safe: Temp Workers Need Safety Training

I was this close (okay, not literally, but almost) to having a full-on safety meltdown over what I saw on my way to the office.

Picture this: a construction worker in full gear — safety vest, hard hat, proper work clothes — everything looking good at first glance. But then I notice they’re holding a traffic flag in one hand and a slow/stop paddle in the other. Quick reminder: flags are for emergencies only; slow/stop paddles are for normal flagger operations.

And then it got worse.

This worker was standing in the middle of the road, with their back to oncoming traffic, and no cones, no advance warning signs, nothing to alert drivers. Just standing there, completely exposed, trusting that visibility gear alone would protect them.

This is where you say, “OMG.”

There were so many things wrong with that picture. And no, I didn’t snap a photo, I was driving, and I’m supposed to be the safety person, so… yeah. Not a good idea.

What scares me is that the worker probably thought they were doing everything right. They had the gear. They were “helping” with traffic. They assumed people would see them. Their supervisor might have thought the same thing.

And honestly, this was probably a day laborer or temp worker sent out there with little to no instruction, just told to “keep traffic back from the forklift.”

Here’s the part that really sticks with me: I had to keep driving.

I couldn’t pull over, run out, and give that worker a quick 10-minute (pun absolutely intended) crash course on proper emergency flagging. I wanted to. I wish I could’ve.

What I can do is tell you.

I can tell you that real-life moments like this are exactly why the team at Weeklysafety.com works hard to create accurate, useful, real-world safety training materials. These experiences shape everything we write and everything we produce.

And I can tell you that you can take action today.

You can say, “I’m going to make my job, my company, and my team safer today. I’m going to train them on good safety practices — even if it’s just for 10 minutes.”

I’ll do my part.
I truly hope you’ll do yours.