High-hazard Facility Work.
An owner or operator of a stationary source that is engaged in petroleum refining or petrochemical manufacturing, when contracting for the construction, alteration, installation, repair, or maintenance of the stationary source, must require its contractors and subcontractors to use a skilled and trained workforce to perform onsite work in an occupation for which an apprenticeship program has been approved by the Washington State Apprenticeship Training Council. A "skilled and trained workforce" means all the workers are either registered apprentices or skilled journeypersons. In this context, a skilled journeyperson means the worker: has either graduated from an apprenticeship program for the applicable occupation or has at least as many hours of on-the-job experience as would be required to graduate; and is being paid at least a rate commensurate with the wages typically paid for the occupation in the applicable geographic area. However, a worker may not be paid less than a rate consistent with the seventy-fifth percentile in the applicable occupation and geographic area in the most recent occupational employment statistics published by the Employment Security Department. The prevailing wage rate may be used but a contractor is not required to pay prevailing wage rates.
Prevailing Wage.
State law requires that prevailing wages be paid to laborers, workers, and mechanics employed in all public works and public building service maintenance contracts. The prevailing wage is established by the industrial statistician at the Department of Labor and Industries. It is calculated based on the hourly wage, usual benefits, and overtime paid in the largest city in each county, to the majority of workers, laborers, or mechanics in the same trade or occupation.
A skilled journeyperson working on stationary sources in petroleum refining or petrochemical manufacturing must be paid at least a rate consistent with the prevailing hourly wage rate in the applicable occupation and geographic area.