| In spite of being “No” — more than once — the state Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) has once again proposed a new workplace rule related to workers who could fall victim to heat-related illness when working outdoors.
With a straight face, officials at L&I claim to have proposed the featherbedding rule, which would dramatically impact construction — significantly increasing the affordability of housing at a time when homes are already out of the reach of most young families — because heat-related illness, such as heat exhaustion or heat stroke, can cause disability or death. However, in the past 10 years, only four Washington workers are known to have died from heat stroke — well below the national average.
L&I justifies the rule by stating that many workers become ill in hot weather and don’t recognize the symptoms. The symptoms, which include dizziness, confusion and poor judgment, can contribute to other serious injuries.
The proposal would require employers with employees who work outdoors to update safety plans, train employees about the symptoms of heat illnesses and increase access to water. The last version of the rule, which business groups successfully opposed, required employers with people working outdoors to provide “cooling stations” where workers, who themselves determine if they need to, could relax and cool off for as long as they felt it necessary. The rule also required employers to provide one gallon of water per hour, per worker on the job.
Tentative adoption of the rule is June 4 following five public hearings statewide, including one to be held April 28 at 1 p.m. at the Comfort Inn, located at 1620 74th Ave. S.W. in Tacoma.
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