Agency labour: define the assignment, receiving responsibilities and commercial checks
A BC superintendent requests temporary workers for a short material-receiving phase. The agency confirms availability, but the request does not describe the actual handling tasks, site conditions or supervisor. The first invoice later differs from the gate record. The superintendent needs separate readiness and commercial checks.
Start with the assignment, not a generic request for extra people. WorkSafeBC guideline G-P2-21(1)-2 describes responsibilities for both labour-supply firms and client employers within its jurisdiction, including task information, worker suitability, orientation and supervision. An agency invoice does not transfer all site responsibilities to the supplier. Check the applicable employment and commercial arrangements with their responsible advisers rather than inventing a universal agency ratio.
Confirm the assignment before accepting the arrival
- Describe the actual requested work. Give the supplier the location, task boundary, expected period, conditions and relevant qualifications or training needs. Identify excluded tasks and uncertainty. A ticket may be relevant evidence, but its existence alone does not establish competence for every operation or permit a different assignment on arrival.
- Confirm suitability and responsibilities. Ask what the supplier has verified and agree the site receiving contact, required orientation and supervision. Resolve missing information before release. Record who supplies each part without assuming generic orientation replaces the workplace-specific information or that the client can rely only on the dispatch confirmation.
- Introduce the actual site and task. Use the applicable orientation process, current instructions and a suitable supervisor. Confirm reporting and stop/escalation routes, resources and receiving checks. Keep the assignment within the assessed boundary. If the work changes, revisit readiness with the supplier and responsible site roles rather than quietly adding unfamiliar duties.
- Observe and support the contribution. Check accepted work, understanding and required supervision through the actual employer process. Address concerns promptly and arrange suitable reassignment or support where necessary. Count the company's receiving and supervision effort when comparing options; a short placement is not automatically cheap or immediately interchangeable with an established worker.
- Reconcile the commercial record separately. Compare approved timesheets, assignment records, agreed rates and billable terms. Gate entry and exit are useful context, not an automatic definition of payable or billable hours. Refer differences for clarification under the actual agreement and retain the resolved record without changing safety decisions to settle an invoice.
Common mistakes
- Requesting people without defining their tasks.
- Equating a ticket with readiness for any assignment.
- Assuming agency dispatch replaces site orientation.
- Treating gate time as the complete billing agreement.
Checklist
An agency placement needs two clear records
- Defined task, conditions and exclusions.
- Confirmed readiness and receiving responsibilities.
- Actual orientation, supervision and escalation routes.
- Reviewed changes to the assignment.
- Agreed rates, billable terms and reconciled records.
Check your understanding
The supplier says its worker received general orientation. What must the client still establish before the site assignment?
