Washington Administrative Code

Your responsibility:To make sure stairs used by employees are safe.You must meet the requirements …in this section:Provide fixed stairs where requiredWAC 296-800-25005Provide stairs that minimize hazardsWAC 296-800-25010Provide handrails and stair railingsWAC 296-800-25015Exempti…

(1) You must install fixed stairs where:(a) Employees travel between different levels on a predictable and regular basis.(b) Access to platforms is required to give routine attention to equipment under operation.(c) Daily movement between elevations is required to gauge, inspect,…

(1) You must make sure stairs have slip-resistant treads.(2) You must make sure that stairs with four or more risers have:(a) Railings on the open sides of all exposed stairways and stair platforms.(b) Handrails on at least one side of closed stairways, preferably on the right si…

Exemption:Vehicle service pit stairways are exempt from the rules for stairway railing and guards, if they would prevent a vehicle from moving into a position over the pit.Definition:• A handrail is a single bar or pipe on brackets from a wall or partition to provide a continuous…

Your responsibility:To make sure that the buildings, floors, and other structures in your workplace are safe, well-built, and not overloaded.You must meet the requirements …in this section:Do not overload floors or roofsWAC 296-800-27005Make sure that floors are safeWAC 296-800-2…

You must prohibit overloading roofs and floors of any building or other structure with more weight than is approved by the building official.[Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, and 49.17.060. WSR 18-22-116, § 296-800-27005, filed 11/6/18, effective 12/7/18.…

(1) You must make sure that floors including their parts and structural members are safe.(2) You must make sure floors are of substantial construction and kept in good repair. This includes floors of:(a) Buildings.(b) Platforms.(c) Walks and driveways.(d) Storage yards.(e) Docks.…

You must make sure flooring of buildings, ramps, docks, trestles and other fixed structures that supports equipment that moves or has motion such as vibration, must not be less than two and one-half inch material.Note:Where flooring is covered by steel floor plates, 2-inch materi…

(1) You must post approved load limits (weight limits) for floors used for mercantile, business, industrial or storage purposes in an obvious place.(2) You must as the owner, or owner's agent, of a building (or other part of a workplace) post the load approved by the building off…

Summary.Your responsibility:To protect your employees from hazards when working with electrical equipment, tools, and appliances.You must meet the requirements …in this section:Inspect all electrical equipment your employees use to make sure the equipment is safeWAC 296-800-28005…

You must inspect electrical equipment to make sure there are no recognized hazards likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees. Determine the safety of the equipment by considering the following:Suitability for installation and use as evidenced by:(1) Approved or …

Definitions:• Electrical outlets are places on an electric circuit where power is supplied to equipment through receptacles, sockets and outlets for attachment plugs. • Receptacles are outlets that accept a plug to supply electric power to equipment through a cord or cable.(1) Yo…

(1) You must make sure fixtures and receptacles located in wet or damp locations are approved for such use. They must be constructed or installed so that water cannot enter or accumulate in wireways, lampholders, or other electrical parts.(2) You must make sure cabinets, cutout b…

(1) Electric equipment may not be used unless the following markings have been placed on the equipment:(a) The manufacturer's name, trademark, or other descriptive marking by which the organization responsible for the product may be identified; and(b) Voltage, current and wattage…

(1) You must make sure the disconnecting means (such as on/off switches and circuit breakers) is marked to show when it is open and closed and what equipment it controls, unless located and arranged so the purpose is obvious.(2) You must install the disconnecting means at a readi…

You must do the following when using covers and openings:(1) When conductors enter boxes, cabinets, or fittings:(a) Protect the conductor (wires) from abrasion.(b) Effectively close the openings where conductors enter.(c) Effectively close all unused openings.(2) Provide pull box…

This section applies to equipment that operates at 600 volts or less.(1) You must provide and maintain sufficient access and working space around all electrical equipment to permit ready and safe operation and maintenance of the equipment.(2) You must make sure equipment likely t…

Exemption:These rules do not apply to cords and cables that are an internal part of factory assembled appliances and equipment, like the windings on motors or wiring inside electrical panels.Note:Flexible cords and cables are typically used to connect electrical equipment to a po…

(1) You must guard live parts of electric equipment operating at 50 volts or more against accidental contact by any of the following means:(a) By approved cabinets or other forms of approved enclosures.(b) By location in a room, vault, or similar enclosure that is accessible only…

(1) You must make sure the path to ground from circuits, equipment, and enclosures is permanent, continuous, and effective.(2) You must make sure exposed noncurrent-carrying metal parts of cord- and plug-connected equipment that may become energized are grounded under any of the …

(1) You must make sure all electrical circuits that are rated at 600 volts or less have overcurrent protection.(2) You must protect conductors and equipment from overcurrent according to their ability to safely conduct electrical current.(3) You must make sure overcurrent devices…

Important:The following WISHA rule applies to the placement, use, maintenance, and testing of portable fire extinguishers provided for the use of employees. Your local fire marshal also enforces fire codes which address fire safety that are more comprehensive and may go beyond WI…

(1) You must provide approved portable fire extinguishers for your workplace and distribute them so they are readily accessible.Make sure that your portable fire extinguisher does not use extinguishing agents such as carbon tetrachloride or chlorobromomethane extinguishing agents…

Exemption:• This does not apply to the portable fire extinguishers provided for employees to use outside of workplace buildings or structures.• You are exempt from the distribution requirements of this rule if you have an emergency action plan (that meets requirements of WAC 296-…

You must make sure that fire extinguishers found with deficiencies are removed from service and replaced with a suitable fire extinguisher.[Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, and 49.17.060. WSR 18-22-116, § 296-800-30015, filed 11/6/18, effective 12/7/18. S…

(1) You must perform inspections:Make sure that portable fire extinguishers or hose systems (used instead of fire extinguishers) are visually inspected monthly.(2) You must perform maintenance checks:(a) Make sure that all portable fire extinguishers are subjected to an annual ma…

(1) You must train your employees where you have provided portable fire extinguisher for their use in:(a) The hazards involved with incipient stage firefighting (the early stage of a fire when it can be extinguished by a portable fire extinguisher).(b) The general principles of f…

Your responsibility:To provide and maintain emergency exit routes and to install and maintain adequate employee alarm systems.IMPORTANT:An employer who demonstrates compliance with the exit route provisions of NFPA 101-2009, the Life Safety Code, will be in compliance with the co…

(1) You must provide a minimum of two exit routes to provide different ways for employees to leave the workplace safely during an emergency (at least two of the exit routes must be remote from one another so employees can safely exit if one exit route becomes blocked or unavailab…

(1) You must make sure each exit route is large enough to accommodate the maximum-permitted occupant load for each floor served by the route.(2) You must make sure the capacity of an exit route does not decrease at any point.(3) You must make sure the exit route has a minimum cei…

(1) You mustmake sure each exit is a permanent part of the workplace.(2) You must make sure an exit route has only those openings necessary to permit access to, or exit from, occupied areas of the workplace.(3) You must make sure any opening into an exit through a fire wall is pr…

(1) You must make sure that building exit routes lead:(a) Directly outside or to a street, walkway, refuge area, or to an open space with access to the outside.(b) To streets, walkways, or open spaces large enough to accommodate all building occupants likely to use the exit.(2) Y…

(1) You must provide exit routes that are always free of obstructions so all employees can safely exit the building during an emergency.(2) You must make sure employees are not required to travel to a dead end or through a room that can be locked, such as a restroom.[Statutory Au…

Exemption:An exit door may be locked or blocked from the inside in a mental, penal, or correctional institution, if supervisory personnel are continuously on duty and a plan exists to remove employees and inmates during an emergency.You must make sure all exit doors readily open …

You must use a side-hinged exit door to connect any room to an exit route. The door must swing out when the room:(1) Is occupied by more than fifty persons; or(2) Contains highly flammable or explosive materials.[Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, and 49.17…

You must make sure an outdoor exit route (such as an interior balcony, porch, gallery, or roof) meets all requirements for an indoor exit route. In addition, an outdoor exit route must also:(1) Have guardrails to protect unenclosed sides.(2) Be covered if snow or ice is likely to…

(1) You must maintain each exit route to minimize danger to employees during an emergency.(2) You must keep each exit route free of explosive or highly flammable furnishings and decorations.(3) You must not require employees to travel toward areas where high hazard materials are …

(1) You must mark each exit with a clearly visible, distinctive sign reading "exit."(2) You must make sure the letters in the word "exit" are at least six inches high and 3/4 inch wide.(3) You must mark any doorway or passage that might be mistaken for an exit with "not an exit" …

(1) You must illuminate each exit route adequately and reliably.(2) You must have at least five foot-candles illumination from a reliable light source.(3) You must make sure any exit signs illuminated by artificial lights and made of translucent material (other than internally il…

You must maintain any paints or other coatings with fire retardant properties so they retain their fire retardant properties.[Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, and 49.17.060. WSR 18-22-116, § 296-800-31055, filed 11/6/18, effective 12/7/18. Statutory Autho…

You must maintain each safeguard in proper working order to protect employees during an emergency. Emergency safeguards include items such as:(1) Sprinkler systems.(2) Alarm systems.(3) Fire doors.(4) Exit lighting.[Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, and 49…

(1) You must have enough exit routes that comply with these rules before letting your employees occupy a workplace under new construction.(2) You must make sure that employees do not occupy an existing workplace unless:(a) All exits and existing fire protection are maintained; or…

You must make sure that walk-in refrigerators or freezer rooms have doors with opening devices allowing them to be opened from the inside even when they are locked from the outside.[Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, and 49.17.060. WSR 18-22-116, § 296-800-…

Exemptions:• If you have ten or fewer employees in a particular workplace, you can use direct voice communication to sound the alarm, if all employees can hear it. For this kind of workplace, you do not need a back-up system. • In workplaces where employees would not otherwise be…

(1) You must explain to each employee how to sound the alert for emergencies. Methods of reporting emergencies can include:(a) Manual pull box alarms.(b) Public address systems.(c) Radio.(d) Telephones.(2) You must post emergency numbers near telephones, employee notice boards, o…

(1) You must test the reliability and adequacy of your employee alarm system every two months.Use a different activation device in each test of a multiactuation device system, so the entire alarm system gets tested.(2) You must make sure that supervised (monitored) employee alarm…

Your responsibility:To conduct an investigation of certain types of accidents.You must meet the requirements …in this section:Make sure equipment involved in a work-related accident is not movedWAC 296-800-32010Assign people to assist the department of labor and industriesWAC 296…

(1) You must not move equipment involved in a work-related accident if any of the following results:(a) A death.(b) An inpatient hospitalization.(c) An amputation.(d) The loss of an eye.(2) You must not move the equipment until a representative of the department of labor and indu…

You must assign witnesses and other employees to assist department of labor and industries personnel who arrive at the scene to investigate the incident involving:(1) A death.(2) An inpatient hospitalization.(3) An amputation.(4) The loss of an eye.Include:(5) The immediate super…

(1) You must make sure your preliminary investigation is conducted to evaluate the facts relating to the cause of the incident by the following people:(a) A person designated by the employer.(b) The immediate supervisor of the injured employee.(c) Witnesses.(d) An employee repres…