296-307-095 Field sanitation.
296-307-09503 What does this section cover?
296-307-09506 What definitions apply to this section?
296-307-09509 What orientation must employers provide for
field sanitation?
296-307-09512 What potable water sources must an employer
provide?
296-307-09515 What handwashing facilities must an employer
provide?
296-307-09518 What toilet facilities must an employer provide?
(1) Are engaged in field activities for
the production of grains, livestock, or livestock feed; or
(2) Use vehicles, machinery, or animals
as part of their field activities and, when needed, can transport
themselves to and from toilet and handwashing facilities.
“Accessible” means a maximum of one-quarter
mile or five minutes travel time from the worksite.
“Hand-labor operations” means agricultural
operations performed by hand or with hand tools.
For example: The hand cultivation, weeding,
planting or harvesting of vegetables, nuts, fruit, seedlings or
other crops, including mushrooms, and hand packing into containers.
Exception: Hand-labor does not include logging
operations, the care or feeding of livestock, or hand-labor operations
in permanent structures (e.g., canning facilities or packing houses).
“Handwashing facility” means a facility that
meets the requirements of WAC
296-307-09515 and is approved by the local health authority.
“Toilet” means a fixed or portable facility
designed for the purpose of adequate collection and containment
of both defecation and urination. “Toilet” includes
biological, chemical, flush, and combustion toilets, or sanitary
outhouses.
WAC
296-307-09509 What orientation must employers provide for
field sanitation?
You must provide each employee with verbal orientation on field
sanitation facilities. The orientation must be understandable
to each employee and must include:
(1) The location of potable water supplies and the importance
of drinking water frequently, especially on hot days;
(2) Identification of all nonpotable water at the worksite and
prohibition of the use of nonpotable water for sanitation purposes
with an explanation of the hazards associated with using nonpotable
water;
(3) The location of handwashing facilities and the importance
of handwashing:
(a) before and after using the toilet; and
(b) Before eating and smoking; and
(4) The location of toilet facilities; an explanation that facilities
are for employee convenience and health considerations; the necessity
to keep them sanitary; and that using the fields, orchards, or
forests is not an option.
WAC
296-307-09512 What potable water sources must an employer
provide?
You must provide potable water for employees
engaged in hand-labor operations in the field, without cost to
the employee. Potable water must meet the following requirements:
(1) Potable water is in locations that are accessible to all
employees.
(2) Potable water containers are refilled daily or more often
as necessary.
(3) Potable water dispensers are designed, constructed, and serviced
so that sanitary conditions are maintained. They are closeable
and equipped with a tap.
(4) Open containers such as barrels, pails, or tanks for drinking
water from which water must be dipped or poured, whether or not
they are fitted with a cover, are prohibited.
(5) Any container used to distribute drinking water is clearly
marked in English and with the appropriate international symbol
describing its contents.
(6) Any container used to distribute drinking water is only used
for that purpose.
(7) Potable water is suitably cool and provided in sufficient
amounts, taking into account the air temperature, humidity, and
the nature of the work performed, to meet employees' needs.
Note: Suitably cool water should be sixty
degrees Fahrenheit or less. During hot weather, employees may
require up to three gallons of water per day. Additional requirements
may be found in the outdoor heat exposure standard in Part G-1,
WAC 296-307-09740 Drinking water, which applies between May 1st
and September 30th of each year.
(8) The use of common drinking cups or dippers is prohibited.
Water is dispensed in single-use drinking cups, personal containers,
or by water fountains.
“Single-use drinking cups” means containers
of any type or size, disposable or not, and including personal
containers if the choice to use a personal container is made by
the employee, not the employer.
(9) Employees must be prohibited from drinking from irrigation
ditches, creeks or rivers. Potable water must meet the quality
standards for drinking purposes of the state or local authority,
or must meet quality standards of the United States Environmental
Protection Agency's National Interim-Primary Drinking Water Regulations,
published in 40 CFR Part 141 and 40 CFR 147.2400.
WAC
296-307-09515 What handwashing facilities must an employer
provide?
You must provide handwashing facilities for employees engaged
in hand-labor operations in the field, without cost to the employee.
Handwashing facilities must meet the following requirements:
(1) One handwashing facility with a tap and an adequate supply
of water, soap, single-use hand towels, and either a basin or
other suitable container for washing is provided for each twenty
employees or fraction of twenty.
Note: Nonpotable water must not be used
for washing any part of a person, except as permitted by the local
health authority.
(2) Each facility has running water.
(3) Each facility has a dispenser containing handsoap or a similar
cleansing agent.
(4) Each facility has individual single-use hand towels.
(5) Facilities are maintained in a clean and sanitary condition
according to appropriate public health sanitation practices.
(6) Waste receptacles are provided. Disposal of wastes from the
facilities does not create a hazard nor cause an unsanitary condition.
(7) Employees are allowed reasonable time during the work period
to use the facilities.
(8) Handwashing facilities are near toilet facilities and within
one-quarter mile of each employee's worksite in the field.
Exception: Where it is not feasible to locate
facilities as required above, the facilities must be located at
the point of closest vehicular access.
You must provide toilet facilities for employees engaged in
hand-labor operations in the field, without cost to the employee.
Toilet facilities must meet the following requirements:
(1) One toilet facility is provided for each twenty employees
or fraction of twenty.
(2) You must ensure, at the beginning of each day, that the toilets
are inspected. If any toilet facility fails to meet the requirements
of this section, immediate corrective action is taken. Inspections
are documented and the record maintained at the worksite for at
least seventy-two hours.
(3) Toilet facilities are adequately ventilated; appropriately
screened, and have self-closing doors that can be closed and latched
from the inside. Toilet facilities are constructed to ensure privacy.
(4) Facilities are maintained in a clean, sanitary, and functional
condition and according to appropriate public health sanitation
practices.
(5) Toilets are supplied with toilet paper.
(6) Disposal of wastes from the facilities does not create a
hazard or cause an unsanitary condition.
(7) Employees are allowed reasonable time during the work period
to use the facilities.
(8) Facilities are near handwashing facilities and within one-quarter
mile of each employee's worksite in the field.
Exception: Where it is not feasible to locate
facilities as required above, the facilities must be located at
the point of closest vehicular access.
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