WASHINGTON: Updates coming to temporary worker housing rules

The existing safety rules for temporary worker housing (TWH) in the agriculture industry issued by Washington’s Departments of Labor & Industries (L&I) and Health (DOH) will soon be updated following their expiration on January 8, 2021. As a reminder, the larger framework for agriculture COVID-19 (coronavirus) safety compliance in Washington continues to be Proclamation 20-57.1, and the implementing requirements for worksites, which we reported on here. In this second round of TWH rulemaking, we expect the requirements to largely mirror the originals, reported on here, and subsequent modifications that took place in September, reported on here. When the rules are released, we expect the DOH webpage on TWH rules in progress and L&I’s rulemaking site to be updated.

Tips: At the time of our publication cutoff, the new rules hadn’t yet been published, but we’ll report on their adoption in our next newsletter. In the meantime, please keep an eye on L&I and DOH’s sites, and contact your Vigilant safety professional with questions.