04/14/06 Proposed L&I Rule

Proposed L&I rule. I'm Greg Martin with today's Fruit Grower Report. The Department of Labor and Industry has proposed to enact a new rule by June of this year and many producers may find overly restrictive and ultimately costing them millions to comply with. L&I's proposed emergency rule will require all employers with employees performing outdoor work from June 1 through September 30 to provide employees with one quart of water per hour, per employee, as well as provide a "cooling area" for any worker possibly suffering from heat stress. Workers must be allowed access to the "cooling area" for an unlimited time. Some Ag industry leaders are opposing the proposal saying that L&I already has sufficient rules in place to cite employers who don`t take precautions to deal with heat stress in the workplace. In fact, L&I's own data indicates that only .003 (or 3/10th`s of 1 percent) of all industrial insurance claims over the last ten years were heat stress related. While an overwhelming majority of the state's businesses, organizations and local governments have expressed vehement opposition to L&I's proposed heat stress rule, the primary source of support for the rule has come from out-of-state special interest groups. This has raised the question by groups like the Washington State Horticultural Association and Building Industry Association of Washington as to the motive of L&I for proposing a heat stress rule that will have a significant financial impact on our state's employers. That's today's Fruit Grower Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.