Public Risk Management

The risk management arena sometimes may seem a little gray, particularly if it involves the services of borrowed employees. For example, under law, an organization or municipality can be held liable for injuries suffered by a third party even if the individual is an employee borrowed from another company or an independent contractor. Such employees present a slippery slope for organizations who seek their services, primarily because the organization has little control or insight into the employees’ initial hiring, training and/or supervision. Amplifying the overall risk notwithstanding, borrowing workers is oftentimes extremely convenient. However, the situation requires that the organization relying on borrowed workers takes some precautions prior to committing to their services. • The organization should not pass on the option to commit the conditions of potential injury or misconduct to paper. As a result, the organization can create the opportunity to shift the responsibility to the third party’s company