Labor and Industries

Producers that missed the first Washington Ag Safety Day February 1st in Yakima, will have another opportunity to hear the latest in farm safety February 22nd in Wenatchee.  The full day event is by the Washington state Department of Labor & Industries.   "The...

Last month, the Washington state Department of Agriculture, along with the department of Labor & Industries, held a groundbreaking ceremony on the construction of a new state laboratory and training center in Tumwater. The project, funded through a $53.2 m ...

After the record breaking heatwave in late June and the fact that there’s still a lot of summer left here in the Pacific Northwest, the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries' has implemented emergency rules the agency said will help protect farm workers in extreme heat. New reg ...

Starting Sunday July 25th, dairy workers in Washington will start to receive overtime once they work more than 40 hours in a week. Jeff Mayor with Washington Labor & Industries said this is due to the legislature passing Senate Bill 5172 this session, which was a response made to a Supreme Court ruling in late 2020. ...

On Friday, the Washington Department of Labor & Industries filed emergency rules the organization says will protect employees from exposure to wildfire smoke. The new rules, which are in effect now, impact workers in agriculture, construction and others that spend a majority of their time outdoors. ...

The Washington state Department of Labor & Industries is offering businesses free and confidential safety consultations. L&I’s Eastern Region Consultation manager, John McFadden, said the consultations are intended to prevent accidents, lower workers compensation rates as well as identify and correct hazards. "They can cont ...

Save Family Farming is pushing back against the Washington department of Labor and Industries following a $2 million fine over alleged COVID-19 deaths. The state-wide farm group is comparing the $2 million fine announced on against Gebbers Farms on December 21st to Enforcement by Crucifixion, comparing it to tactics used by the Roman Empire ...

The Washington state Department of Labor & Industries has fined nearly two dozen agricultural businesses for safety and health violations this year. L&I has conducted 384 Ag workplace safety and health inspections this year. Of those 130 violations of various concerns were reported, including noncompliance when it comes to recent COVID-19 rules. Inspe ...

Starting June 4th, the Ag industry be required to have new protections in place to help stave off the spread of COVID-19 among farm workers. Those protections were announced in Governor Jay Inslee’s Proclamation 20-57, released last week. ... Read More ...

Last week, Washington Labor & Industries proposed a draft of emergency rules for temporary agriculture worker housing when it comes to combating the spread of Coronavirus. A variety of farm groups across the state fear this will be a detrimental hit to the state’s agriculture industry, with cherry harvest starting in just a few weeks. ...