95% of temporary workers are not insured

Number one procurer of temporary agency labour calls for employers to take action

Research from the number one procurer of temporary agency labour, de Poel, has found that 95% of temporary workers in the UK do not have personal accident insurance or life assurance.

The shocking statistic comes ahead of the introduction of the Agency Workers Regulations (AWR) in October that will see temporary staff getting the same rights as permanent employees after 12 weeks in a position.

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The lack of insurance for temporary workers is causing huge problems for a number of sectors, with particular impact on the logistics industry

With a high number of accidents and injuries in the logistics sector, the industry is starting to see higher insurance premiums and a huge impact on costs.

In the past 12 months, the Logistics sector has experienced:
−    3,095 major injuries, along with 13 fatalities (a drop of 7.7% from the previous year).
−    16,593 minor injuries within the workplace.
−    3,500 illnesses caused within the workplace (a drop of 4% from 2009).
(Stats provided by the Health and Safety Executive)

With more people than ever entering the temporary agency market as we come out of the recession, the number of temporary workers without personal accident insurance will continue to rise.

Matthew Sanders CEO of de Poel comments “It is shocking to hear about the number of temporary agency workers that are leaving themselves vulnerable because of the lack of insurance. Workers should be made aware about the pitfalls of not having insurance and be given information about the options available to them.

“de Poel has recently made TempSure™, a membership club that has been designed to offer temporary workers a range of benefits suited to their needs, compulsory to all of the employers it works with. The membership club provides temporary workers with personal accident insurance and life assurance, along with a variety of leisure benefits.”