WAC 296-900-120 Inspections

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WAC 296-900-12005

WISHA Inspections

• WISHA conducts the following types of programmed inspections:
  • - Hazardous workplaces
  • - WISHA identifies hazardous workplaces using objective criteria and inspection-scheduling systems that may include any of the following factors:
    • Type of industry.
    • Injury and illness data that identifies hazards.
    • Employer's industrial insurance experience.
    • Number, type, and toxicity of contaminants in the workplace.
    • Degree of exposure to hazards.
    • Number of employees exposed.
    • Other factors, such as history of employee complaints.

• - High hazard industries that include the following:
  • Agriculture.
  • Asbestos renovation and demolition.
  • Construction.
  • Electrical utilities and communications.
  • Logging.
  • Maritime.
• WISHA conducts the following types of unprogrammed inspections of workplaces that may be in violation of WISHA safety or health requirements or chapter 49.17 RCW, the Washington Industrial Safety and Health Act. These inspections may focus only on certain areas or processes in a workplace or, depending on initial findings, may be expanded to include the entire workplace. Unprogrammed inspections may occur because of:
  • - Complaints from current employees or employee representatives who believe they have been exposed to a hazard because of a violation.
  • - Referrals from anyone, including former employees, who reasonably believes that workers under WISHA jurisdiction are being, or have been, exposed to a hazard because of a violation.
  • - Workplace deaths, catastrophic events, or serious injury or illness.
  • - A reason to believe that employees may be in imminent danger of serious injury or death.
  • - Follow-up inspections to verify that hazards identified in a previous inspection have been corrected.

WAC 296-900-12010

Inspection techniques

• During an inspection, WISHA staff may:
  • - Take samples, photographs, videotapes, or audiotapes.
  • - Conduct tests or interviews.
  • - Ask employees to wear sampling devices.
  • - Privately question, on or off the worksite, any:
    • Employer.
    • Employer representative.
    • Owner.
    • Operator.
    • Employee.
    • Employee representative.
  • - Employ any other reasonable investigative techniques.

WAC 296-900-12015

Complaints

Employees or employee representatives may:

• File a written complaint if they believe they have been exposed to a hazard that's a violation of WISHA safety and health requirements.

What to expect from WISHA:

• After receiving a written complaint from an employee or employee representative, WISHA reviews the allegations and responds according to Table 2, WISHA Responses to Employee Complaints.