Check agency worker training evidence before a New Zealand placement

An agency may send a worker with a valid general certificate, yet the host site may require different information about the actual task, plant and hazards. The pre-placement record should identify what the agency has checked, what the host must explain and how any gap will be closed before the person starts. Treating agency workers as “already trained” because they are not permanent employees leaves a dangerous interface.

This guide concerns New Zealand labour-hire and temporary agency placements. WorkSafe's general risk and workplace-management guidance explains the duty to provide information, training, instruction or supervision needed to protect people from risks. WorkSafe's contracting advice explains coordination when PCBUs have overlapping duties. The exact legal and contractual division depends on the placement; neither party should assume the other has done every check.

Define the placement accurately

Record the host, worksite, role, tasks, equipment, substances, expected duration and supervisor. An agency request for “general labour” is too vague if the worker will use a machine, work at height or enter a hazardous area. Give the agency the hazards and qualifications relevant to the job before it nominates a person.

Separate prerequisites that can be checked before arrival from site-specific instruction that must happen at the host. A formal licence or external course record may be supplied by the agency; emergency routes, local isolation, pedestrian separation and the actual safe-work method belong to the site. Record who is responsible for each item.

Review evidence, not just a declaration

Check the identity, date, scope and issuing body of relevant certificates or assessments. Ask whether the training covers the equipment and task to be performed. WorkSafe's road and roadside competency guidance notes, within that sector, that a current licence or certificate is not always evidence of actual job competence. The broader operational lesson is to check application in the real work setting, without importing road-sector rules into unrelated roles.

If an item is missing, label it as evidence pending rather than clearing the placement. The host can arrange instruction or supervised assessment where lawful and appropriate. A booked course does not prove completion, and an agency's assurance does not automatically establish that the host's plant is familiar to the worker.

Deliver and record host instruction

Brief the worker on site hazards, safe systems, emergency arrangements, reporting route, stop-work expectations and who supervises them. Use a form and language they understand. Ask them to demonstrate key controls where the task is safety-critical. Retain the version of the instruction used, date, trainer and any restriction. A signature by itself may show attendance but not understanding.

Explain how to report a changed task. Agency workers are often moved to cover a gap at short notice; a placement approval for packing work should not silently become authority to operate a forklift. Recheck training and supervision when the role, location or equipment changes.

Coordinate agency and host responsibilities

Agree how incidents, near misses, absence and performance concerns will be communicated. Identify who updates the worker's file and who can stop an assignment. If the host finds a training gap, tell the agency and record the immediate protection. A contractor-management record is useful only if both parties act on it.

Protect personal information. Share evidence needed to assess safe placement, not unrelated medical or employment details. Keep access limited to those making assignment and safety decisions. Retain a dated decision history so a later reviewer can see what was known before the shift.

Example: a temporary machine operator

An agency proposes a worker for a short production placement. Their training record covers a similar machine but not the host's guarded line or emergency-stop arrangement. The host reviews the record, gives site instruction, observes a supervised start and records a restriction until the worker demonstrates safe operation. The agency is informed of the scope. The decision is based on the actual task, not merely the fact that the worker completed a course elsewhere.

The mapped Complys NZ contractor management page is the product page for assessing supplier and worker-evidence handovers. The existing worker engagement guide covers broader worker participation; this page owns the agency-to-host training-evidence decision. Complys is not said to certify competence, conduct live credential checks or transfer statutory duties.

Confirm the first-day supervision arrangement

Even when the agency has supplied appropriate training evidence, the host should identify who supervises the first shift and how the worker asks questions or stops unsafe work. A temporary worker may hesitate to report a gap because they are new to the site or worried about losing shifts. Explain that reporting hazards is expected, name a contact and check understanding. This is part of making the placement safe, not an optional courtesy.

At the end of the first shift, the supervisor can review whether the task matched the agreed scope. If it changed, document the new training need before the next assignment. Feed relevant concerns back to the agency so its record of the worker's placement is accurate. Keep a dated trail of decisions instead of assuming an initial approval covers all future duties at the host.

A placement checklist should show the worker's own understanding of how to report a near miss, obtain help and refuse an unsafe instruction. An agency may supply generic training, but the host controls the actual layout and escalation channel. Confirm these details on site before independent work begins.