H-1257.1 _______________________________________________
HOUSE BILL 1687
_______________________________________________
State of Washington 52nd Legislature 1991 Regular Session
By Representatives Rayburn, McLean, Grant, Nealey, Rasmussen, Kremen, R. Johnson, Bray, Ballard, Orr and Inslee.
Read first time February 6, 1991. Referred to Committee on Agriculture & Rural Development. Referred 2/7/91 to Committee on Commerce & Labor.
AN ACT Relating to pesticide posting; amending RCW 49.70.117; and declaring an emergency.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
Sec. 1. RCW 49.70.117 and 1989 c 380 s 76 are each amended to read as follows:
(1) If a pesticide having a reentry interval of greater than twenty‑four hours is applied to a labor‑intensive agricultural crop, the pesticide‑treated area shall be posted with warning signs in accordance with the requirements of this section.
(2) When pesticide warning signs are required under this section, the employer shall post signs visible from all usual points of entry to the pesticide‑treated area. If there are no usual points of entry or the area is adjacent to an unfenced public right of way, signs shall be posted (a) at each corner of the pesticide‑treated area, and (b) at intervals not exceeding six hundred feet, or (c) at other locations approved by the department that provide maximum visibility.
(3)
The signs shall be posted ((no sooner than twenty‑four hours))
before the ((scheduled)) application of the pesticide but not more
than seven days prior to the scheduled application, remain posted during
application and throughout the applicable reentry interval, and be removed
within two days after the expiration of the applicable reentry interval and
before employee reentry is permitted. Employees working in an area
scheduled for a pesticide application shall be informed of the application and
shall vacate the area to be sprayed prior to application of the pesticide.
(4) Signs shall be legible for the duration of use. Signs shall contain a prominent symbol approved by the department of agriculture and the department of labor and industries by rule, and wording shall be in English and Spanish or other languages as required by the department. Signs shall meet the minimum specifications of rules adopted by the department, which rules shall include, at a minimum, size and lettering requirements.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and shall take effect immediately.