Washington OSHA : What you need to know

Washington is a “state plan” state; that is, it has its own federally approved occupational safety and health regulatory program that governs both the private (private businesses) and public (state and local governments) sector employers and certain self-employed persons. The Washington Industrial Safety and Health Act (WISHA) mirrors federal rules, except that the state has adopted requirements that are stricter than federal rules for bloodborne pathogens, hazard communication, permissible exposure limits for certain air contaminants, personal protectiv equipment (PPE), penalties for WISHA violations, and respiratory protection for specific air contaminants.

See the state sections HAZARD COMMUNICATION STANDARD, INSPECTIONS, MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEET, ENFORCEMENT, RECORDKEEPING, PERMISSIBLE EXPOSURE LIMITS, RESPIRATORY PROTECTION, and TRAINING for more information.

All employers with one or more employees in Washington must establish and implement a written accident prevention program (safety and health plan). Most employers must establish safety and health committees. Small employers must establish safety meetings. See the state sections SAFETY COMMITTEEE and SAFETY PLANS.

The Washington Department of Labor and Industries' (DLI) Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) administers and enforces occupational safety and health requirements in private and public sector workplaces.

DOSH is a division within the DLI. DOSH protects workers from occupational hazards through its occupational safety and health rules.

WISHA gives DLI's DOSH primary responsibility for overseeing workplace safety and health by:

• Implementing rules to ...