Tumwater, WA — Washington state is seeking to add a requirement for written work plans, along with other provisions, to its excavation, trenching and shoring regulations.
Under the proposal, a written work plan would have to include details on “appropriate risk analysis prior to any work that requires a protective system.” Other proposed changes would:
- Require a competent person to be onsite during trenching and excavation work.
- Address recordkeeping and training requirements of the work plan.
“Despite the existing requirement for employers to ‘ensure prompt and safe removal of injured employees from elevated work locations, trenches and excavations prior to commencement of work,’ inspection data revealed multiple fatalities and numerous injuries related to excavation and trenching work in Washington,” the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries Division of Occupational Safety and Health says. “The conclusions of fatality investigations in recent years suggest that a better approach to risk analysis could serve greatly to reduce the likelihood of similar fatalities in the future.”
Washington L&I has scheduled two in-person hearings and a virtual hearing on the proposed changes. The first in-person hearing is set for 1:30 p.m. Pacific on Feb. 10 at L&I’s facility in Tukwila, WA. The other is slated for 1 p.m. Pacific on Feb. 11 at the CenterPlace Regional Event Center in Spokane Valley, WA.
The virtual hearing is planned for 1 p.m. Pacific on Feb. 12.
