Mind the gap, please! The effect of temporary help agencies on the consequences of work accidents

Abstract

Using data from a Spanish register on work-related accidents, this paper analyses the
effect of contract types on two consequences of accidents: the probability of suffering a
serious/fatal accident and the number of working days lost after an accident has
happened. The focus is on the difference among temporary workers hired through
temporary help agencies, direct temporary workers and open-ended workers. We find
that workers hired through temporary help agencies are less likely to suffer serious/fatal
accidents and the durations of their absences are shorter when they are, compared with
workers holding either open-ended contracts or “direct” temporary contracts once
personal, job and accident characteristics are controlled for.