More bills from the 2023 legislative regular session have been signed into law by Washington Governor Jay Inslee. We previously reported on a number of newly signed bills from this session. Two additional bills of interest to employers are listed below.
SSB 5217: Authorizes L&I to develop workplace ergonomic safety rules. Effective July 23, 2023, this bill repeals the existing prohibition on ergonomic safety regulations in Washington and authorizes L&I to issue regulations to prevent work-related musculoskeletal injuries and disorders. The bill limits the scope of L&I’s authority to regulate ergonomics to industries with a high frequency of ergonomic injuries, and limits the frequency of new rules to once per year per industry. Vigilant expects that L&I will exercise its new authority to issue regulations and we will keep members informed when they do so.
ESSB 5320: Requires electrician trainees to go through an apprenticeship program. Effective July 1, 2023, trainees who don’t have 3,000 hours of experience must be registered apprentices to perform work limited to electricians. Effective July 1, 2026, all electrical trainees must be registered in an approved apprenticeship program. Additional requirements that take effect on July 1, 2023, are already contained in RCWs 19.28.161, 191 and 195. See L&I’s webpage on electrician licensing, which has been updated to reflect the new law.
Tips: If you are currently using electrical trainees outside of an approved apprenticeship program, review the new requirements and determine how to connect the trainees with an apprenticeship program in your geographic area. L&I’s webpage includes a tab that lists approved electrical apprenticeship programs in Washington.
