Overview

• Initial Approval: January 26, 1973 (38 FR 2422)
• State Plan Certification: February 9, 1982 (47 FR 5889)
• Operational Status Agreement: September 25, 1975 (40 FR 44133), amended on June 9, 2000 (65 FR 36621) and April 19, 2004 (69 FR 20829)

The Washington State Plan is administered by the Department of Labor and Industries, Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH). The main office is located in Tumwater.

Coverage

The Washington State Plan applies to private sector workplaces with the following exceptions:

1. Enforcement of new federal standards until the state adopts a comparable standard;
2. Enforcement with respect to offshore maritime employment (shipyard employment and longshoring) including dry docks and graving docks, marine railways and similar conveyances (e.g., syncrolifts and elevator lifts), fuel operations, drilling platforms and rigs, dredging and pile driving, and diving;
3. Enforcement in situations where the State Plan is refused entry and is unable to obtain a warrant or enforce its right of entry;
4. Enforcement of unique and complex standards as determined by the Assistant Secretary;
5. Enforcement in situations when the State Plan is unable to exercise its enforcement authority fully or effectively;
6. Enforcement of occupational safety and health standards within the borders of all military reservations and national parks;
7. Enforcement at establishments of employers who are federally recognized Indian Tribes or enrolled members of these tribes – including establishments of the Yakama Indian Nation and Colville Confederated Tribes which were previously excluded by the state in 1987 and 1989 respectively – where such establishments are located within the borders of Indian reservations, or on lands outside these reservations that are held in trust by the federal government for these tribes (non-member private sector and state and local government employers located within a reservation or on trust lands, and member employers located outside the territorial boundaries of a reservation or trust lands remain the responsibility of DOSH);
8. Enforcement with respect to certain contractors within the boundaries of the Hanford Reservation and the Hanford National Monument;
9. Enforcement with respect to contractor workers and contractor-operated facilities engaged in United States Postal Service (USPS) mail operations; and
10. All working conditions of aircraft cabin crewmembers onboard aircraft in operation.

DOSH covers state and local government workers but does not cover federal government workers, including USPS. Federal OSHA covers the issues not covered by the Washington State Plan. In addition, federal OSHA retains enforcement of the anti-retaliation provision of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, Section 11(c), 29 USC 660(c), with respect to the private sector. DOSH also investigates private and state and local government workplace retaliation cases under a provision analogous to Section 11(c).

A brief summary of the Washington State Plan is included in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 29 CFR 1952.4. Federal OSHA retains the authority to promulgate, modify, or revoke occupational safety and health standards under Section 6 of the OSH Act. In the event that federal OSHA resumes enforcement, those federal standards will be enforced. Federal OSHA also retains the authority to monitor the State Plan under Section 18(f) of the OSH Act.

State Plan Standards and Regulations

DOSH has adopted OSHA standards that relate to state and local government and private sector workplace operations. DOSH has adopted most OSHA standards by reference. However, there are unique State Plan standards in the following areas:

General Industry

• Walking-Working Surfaces
• Worker Emergency Plans and Fire Prevention Plans
• Exit Routes and Worker Alarm Systems
• Elevating Work Platforms
• Powered Platforms
• Ventilation for Abrasive Blasting and Spray Finishing
• Noise Exposure
• Nonionizing Radiation
• Hazardous Materials and Processes
• Personal Protective Equipment
• Sanitation and Hygiene Facilities and Procedures
• Temporary Housing for Workers
• Confined Spaces
• Lockout/Tagout
• First Aid and Emergency Response
• Fire Protection and Prevention
• Materials Handling and Storage
• Machinery and Machine Guarding
• Portable Power Tools
• Welding, Cutting, and Brazing
• Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Mills and Paper Printing Operations
• Textiles
• Laundry and Dry Cleaning Machinery and Operations
• Sawmills and Other Wood Processing
• Logging and Forestry
• Telecommunications
• Electric Power Generation, Transmission, and Distribution
• Grain Handling Facilities
• Aquatic Settings
• Charter Boats
• Ski Facilities
• Window Cleaning
• Meat, Food, and Tobacco Processing and Packing
• Electrical Hazards
• Compressed Air Work
• Commercial Diving Operations
• Toxic Substances
• Airborne Contaminants
• Ionizing Radiation
• Biological Agents
• Bloodborne Pathogens
• Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories
• Chemical Agents
• Hazard Communication
• Heat Stress and Cold Stress
• Late Night Retail Worker Crime Prevention
• Steam Piping
• Lighting
• Motor Vehicles
• Worker Intoxication

Construction

• Boilers and Pressure Vessels
• First Aid and Emergency Response
• Sanitation
• Noise Exposure
• Ionizing Radiation
• Nonionizing Radiation
• Gases, Vapors, Fumes, Dusts, and Mists
• Lighting and Illumination
• Ventilation
• Hazard Communication
• Personal Protective/Life Saving Equipment
• Fire Protection and Prevention
• Signaling and Flaggers
• Barricades
• Storage of Materials
• Disposal of Waste Materials
• Rigging Requirements for Material Handling
• Slings
• Rigging Hardware and Lifting Devices Other than Slings and Rigging Hardware
• Lifting Devices Other than Slings and Rigging Hardware
• Hand and Power Tools
• Welding and Cutting
• Electrical Hazards
• Fall Protection
• Material Hoists, Personnel Hoists and Platforms, and Elevators
• Base-Mounted Drum Hoists
• Overhead Hoists
• Conveyors
• Aerial Cableways and Tramways
• Motor Vehicles, Mechanized Equipment, and Marine Operations
• Excavation, Trenching, and Shoring
• Concrete, Concrete Forms, Shoring, and Masonry Construction
• Steel Erection
• Underground Construction
• Demolition
• Roll Over Protective Structures and Overhead Protection
• Stairways
• Asbestos
• Cadmium
• Formaldehyde
• Methylenedianiline
• Lead
• Cranes, Rigging, and Personnel Lifting
• Walking-Working Surfaces
• Confined Spaces
• Roofing Operations
• Asphalt Mixing and Rock Crushing Operations
• House Building and Moving Operations
• Worker Intoxication

Agriculture

• Vehicles and Farm Field Equipment
• Roll Over Protective Structures (ROPS) for Tractors
• Powered Industrial Trucks (Forklifts)
• Mechanical Power-Transmission Apparatus
• Augur Conveying Equipment
• Lawnmowers
• Conveyors
• Choppers, Grinders, Abrasive Wheels, Cutters, Spreaders, and Saws
• Field Sanitation
• Sanitation for Fixed, Indoor Workplaces
• Guarding Floor and Wall Openings and Holes
• Fixed Industrial Stairs
• Portable Ladders
• Fixed Ladders
• Exit Routes
• Aerial Manlift Equipment
• Noise Exposure
• Hazardous Materials and Processes
• Eye and Face Protection
• Respiratory Protection
• Temporary Worker Housing
• Cherry Harvest Camps
• Safety Color Coding: Accident Prevention Signs and Tags
• Confined Spaces
• Lockout-Tagout
• First-Aid
• Fire Protection and Ignition Sources
• Rim Wheel and Tire Servicing
• Hand Tools
• Jacks
• Welding, Cutting, and Brazing
• Electrical Hazards
• Cadmium
• Air Contaminants
• Pesticides
• Hazard Communication
• Lighting
• Heat Stress
• Worker Intoxication

Enforcement Programs

DOSH is responsible for the enforcement of occupational safety and health standards and utilizes the DOSH Compliance Manual to provide guidance for the enforcement program. Compliance officers inspect workplaces for hazardous conditions and issue citations where violations of occupational safety and health standards are found. Inspections may be the result of regular scheduling, imminent danger reports, fatalities, and worker complaints or referrals. More information on enforcement in Washington can be found on the Washington State Plan website.

Voluntary and Cooperative Programs

DOSH offers voluntary and cooperative programs focused on reducing injuries, illnesses, and fatalities. DOSH also offers on-site consultation services which help employers – both state and local government and private sector – comply with occupational safety and health standards and identify and correct potential safety and health hazards. For more information on these programs, please visit the Washington State Plan website.

Informal Conferences and Appeals

DOSH conducts informal conferences in an effort to resolve cases. The Washington Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals (BIIA) hears and rules on appeals from citations, notifications, and penalties issued by Washington OSHA's enforcement unit. For more information on these proceedings, please visit the Washington State Plan website.