About OSHA and WISHA

What is OSHA and its relationship to WISHA?

The U.S. Congress created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in 1971 to develop and enforce workplace safety and health rules throughout the country. States may choose to run their own safety and health programs as long as they are at least as effective as OSHA. Washington state has chosen to run its own program and most employers in the state, therefore, are subject to enforcement by L&I and not by federal OSHA.

In Washington state, OSHA covers:

• Workplaces with federal employees
• Nonfederal employees working on federal reservations and military bases
• Employees working on floating worksites (floating dry docks, fishing boats, construction barges)
• Employees working for tribal employers on tribal lands

Does WISHA apply to you?

WISHA applies to almost every employer and employee in Washington. WISHA applies to you if:

• You hire someone to work for you as an employee, including workers from a temporary agency.
• You are hired to work for someone as their employee.
• You own your own business or you are a corporate officer and have elected industrial insurance coverage for yourself.
• You have a contract with someone else that primarily involves personal labor, even though you are not required to pay industrial insurance or unemployment insurance premiums.
• You volunteer your personal labor, or you have volunteers working for you who receive any benefit or compensation.

For more information, read the introduction to the Safety & Health Core Rules

If you have any questions about your particular situation, call 1-800-4BE SAFE (1-800-423-7233) or contact your local L&I office for help.