
•	Clarify minimum expectations for ensuring adequate ventilation to include: Mechanical ventilation systems must be turned on or windows must be open whenever the sleeping quarters are occupied, and mechanical ventilation systems must be maintained according to the manufacturer's specifications.
•	Add isolation requirements, including monitoring of occupants in isolation by health care professionals consistent with requirements for agricultural workplaces under the Governor's August 19, 2020, Proclamation 20-57.1 and verification that outside isolation facilities meet the isolation requirements before transporting workers to the facility.
•	Add a requirement to report to division of occupational safety and health within twenty-four hours whenever symptomatic or COVID-19 positive workers are placed in isolation.
•	Clarify that barriers near cooking equipment must be fire retardant.
•	Clarify the requirements for use of shared facilities and common areas for multiple group shelters.
•	Clarify existing requirements for the labeling of chemicals.
•	Requires any changes made to the revised temporary worker housing management plan be submitted to DOH.

(1) The operator of temporary worker housing (TWH) under this chapter must implement the following steps to protect occupants from 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) hazards:

(a) Educate occupants and allow entry of community workers:

(i) The operator must educate occupants in a language or languages understood by the occupants on COVID-19, including: How the virus is spread and how to prevent virus spread including the importance of handwashing, the use of cloth face coverings, proper respiratory etiquette, and the importance of prompt sanitizing of frequently touched items; common symptoms and risk factors; and what to do if they develop symptoms.

(ii) The operator must also allow entry of community health workers and community-based outreach workers to provide additional information.

(b) Conspicuously post information regarding the facility's health and safety policies, how to identify symptoms, to whom to report if not feeling well, and where and how to secure medical treatment – all in a language commonly understood by the occupants.

(c) The operator must provide at no cost an adequate number of cloth face coverings for occupants to use in accordance with Washington department of health guidelines, or as required by Washington department of labor and industries (L&I) safety rules. The operator must instruct occupants to use cloth face coverings in public and at housing as recommended in the public health orders.

(d) Develop and implement a physical distancing plan for maintaining six feet of separation between occupants when at housing sites which includes all cooking, eating, bathing, washing, recreational, and sleeping facilities.

(i) In order to facilitate social distancing, the operator must provide additional temporary cooking, bathing, washing, and toilet facilities.

(ii) Sleeping quarters. The operator must ensure:

(A) Beds are spaced at least six feet apart between frames in all directions and arranged so that occupants sleep head to toe; OR

(B) Beds are separated by a bed length, floor to near ceiling temporary nonpermeable barrier (e.g., plexiglass, plastic sheeting, etc.) placed perpendicular to wall such that a thirty-six inch minimum aisle exists between the bed and the temporary barrier and occupants sleep head toward wall. The temporary barriers:

(I) Must be made of fire resistant or fire retardant treated material;

(II) Do not impede required egress;

(III) Do not compromise ventilation/air flow; and

(IV) Are cleaned at least daily.

(D) Steps are taken to improve ventilation wherever possible.

(I) Mechanical ventilation systems must be turned on or windows must be open whenever the sleeping quarters are occupied.

(II) In buildings without mechanical ventilation systems, windows must be open whenever occupied. Windows can be closed when conditions outside of the building could pose a hazard to occupants, such as during dust storms or when pesticides are being applied to fields near the building.

(E) If the TWH facility/building has a mechanical ventilation system, maintain it according to the manufacturer's specifications.

Note:

TWH operators should work with building maintenance staff or HVAC contractors to determine if their existing mechanical ventilation system can be modified to increase ventilation or the percentage of outside air that circulates into the system.

(iii) The operator must use physical barriers (e.g., plastic shields) for fixtures such as sinks where occupants may come in close contact for short periods of time. Any barriers placed near cooking equipment must be fire retardant.

(iv) Provide additional facilities or services that meet the requirements of this chapter if needed to ensure social distancing in common areas, such as additional refrigeration or portable sinks.

(v) The operator must discourage occupants from visiting buildings or sleeping quarters that are not their assigned living spaces, to minimize potential cross-contamination.

(e) Group shelters. If the TWH is set up to accommodate a group shelter and a group shelter is formed, the operator must designate which occupants are part of each group and maintain the same occupants in each group shelter. "Group shelter" means a dwelling unit or cluster of dwelling units with sleeping facilities for up to fifteen occupants that includes toilet facilities, bathing facilities and, if applicable, food preparation and cooking facilities. All facilities and services within the group shelter are for the sole use of the occupants of the group shelter and must be marked as such.

(i) Sleeping quarters. In group shelters, the operator must:

(A) Arrange beds so that the heads of beds are as far apart as possible – at least six feet apart. Both beds of bunk beds may be used. Bunk bed occupants must sleep head to toe.

(B) Take steps to improve ventilation wherever possible.

(I) Mechanical ventilation systems must be turned on or windows must be open whenever the sleeping quarters are occupied.

(C) If the TWH facility or building has a mechanical ventilation system, maintain it according to the manufacturer's specifications.

Note:

(D) Maintain egress requirements.

(E) Provide all occupants suitable storage space including personal storage space for clothing and personal articles. Ensure all or a portion of the space is enclosed and lockable.

(ii) Common areas. In group shelters, the operator must instruct occupants to maintain physical distancing and wear cloth face coverings whenever possible.

(iii) Multiple group shelters. More than one group shelter may share facilities and common areas as long as:

(A) The facilities and areas are used by only one group shelter at a time;

(B) Adequate time is given to each group to accomplish daily activities;

(D) Schedules are shared and conspicuously posted.

(iv) Transportation and work. To utilize the group shelter option, the operator must ensure that members of each shelter group stay together and separate from other groups, occupants, or workers, including during transportation and work. If the operator is not the employer, the operator must ensure the employer will follow the group shelter requirements.

(v) The operator must encourage each group shelter to designate one or two occupants to run errands if items cannot be provided by the operator. These designated occupants can be the main contact for procuring groceries or other items for the group shelter in order to limit public contact and potential disease transmission.

(vi) The operator must quarantine or test all members of a group shelter if a member of the group shelter develops symptoms of COVID-19, as directed by the local health agency.

(f) Clean and disinfect surfaces. The operator must:

(i) Clean and disinfect common areas on a regular schedule, at least as frequent as required by this chapter.

(ii) Wipe down and disinfect surfaces that are touched by multiple individuals at least daily using an EPA-approved disinfectant or diluted bleach solution.

(iii) Provide adequate supplies and instructions to occupants for cleaning and disinfecting of living spaces of dwelling units, family shelters, and group shelters. Occupants must be able to clean and disinfect frequent touched surfaces, bathroom, and cooking areas as needed. Chemicals used for cleaning and disinfecting must be labeled as to its intended purpose in a language commonly understood by the occupants using labeling requirements in chapter 296-901 WAC, Globally harmonized system for hazard communication.

(iv) Ensure adequate supplies of single-use soap and paper towels at all sinks to allow for frequent handwashing. Portable handwashing stations or hand sanitizer may be provided in addition to required facilities.

(v) Provide training in a language or languages understood by contracted workers regarding COVID-19 cleaning, disinfecting, and sanitizing protocols for any contracted cleaning labor prior to their arrival to clean temporary worker housing. In addition to any personal protective equipment required under L&I rules to perform the cleaning activities, provide and require that those contracted workers use disposable gloves and wear cloth face coverings covering nose and mouth while working at the site.

(vi) Clean and disinfect areas where occupants with suspect COVID-19 exposure have been according to CDC guidelines and before the space is used by others.

(2) Isolation.

(a) The operator must develop and implement a plan to identify and isolate sick occupants, including:

(i) A process to screen occupants for symptoms of COVID-19 as identified by the centers for disease control and prevention (CDC), including fever, cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, chills, shaking with chills, muscle pain, headaches, and loss of taste or smell. The operator must provide each occupant with a thermometer or must designate and train a person to use a "no touch" or "no contact" thermometer to check all occupants' temperatures daily. All thermometers must be properly sanitized between each use or each day. Any worker with a temperature of 100.4°F or higher is considered to have a fever.

(ii) Upon identification of suspect COVID-19 cases, the operator must contact the local health officer immediately as required under WAC 296-307-16190 and provide transportation for any medical evaluation or treatment. Ensure individuals providing transportation have appropriate personal protective equipment.

(iii) Isolate suspect COVID-19 cases with sleeping, eating, and bathroom accommodations that are separate from others. If the suspect occupant resides in a room with family members, the sick occupant will have the option to isolate with the family members.

(iv) Confirmed COVID-19 cases must be isolated and only housed with other confirmed cases and must have separate bathroom, cooking and eating facilities from people who have not been diagnosed with COVID-19. If the confirmed occupant resides in a room with family members, the sick occupant will have the option to isolate with the family members.

(v) The operator must report COVID-19-symptomatic or positive TWH occupants in isolation to the division of occupational safety and health (DOSH) within twenty-four hours after placement.

Note:

This notification can be made by telephone to the department's toll-free telephone number, 1-800-4BE-SAFE (1-800-423-7233), or to DOSH by any other means.

(b) The operator must ensure appropriate isolation facilities for COVID-19-symptomatic or positive TWH occupants, including the following:

(i) Ensure that a licensed health care professional visits employees twice per day, at the employer's expense. At a minimum, the health care professional must assess symptoms, vital signs, and oxygen saturation via pulse oximetry, and perform a respiratory exam. For purposes of this subsection, a licensed health care professional means:

(A) An individual licensed under chapter 18.79 RCW as a registered nurse;

(B) An individual licensed under chapter 18.71 RCW as a physician;

(D) An individual licensed under chapter 18.57 RCW as an osteopathic physician;

(E) An individual licensed under chapter 18.57A RCW as an osteopathic physician assistant;

(F) An individual licensed under chapter 18.79 RCW as an advanced registered nurse practitioner; and

(G) An individual licensed under chapter 18.71 RCW as a paramedic or emergency medical technician (EMT) if authorized to monitor COVID-19 symptomatic or positive individuals as authorized by the local medical program director, EMS administrators, and fire chief while working in their agency/jurisdiction.

(ii) Guarantee that the occupants have ready access to telephone service to summon emergency care.

(iii) Ensure that occupants in isolation have access to advanced life support emergency medical services within twenty minutes, and an emergency room with ventilator capability within one hour.

(iv) Provide occupants with information about paid leave and workers compensation.

(v) Permit access to other medical professionals who offer health care services in addition to those licensed health care professionals required under (b)(i)(A) through (G) of this subsection.

(vi) The operator must provide food and water and monitor for safety occupants in isolation.

(vii) If the operator uses other isolation facilities, such as hotels, county or state run isolation centers, the operator must verify that the isolation facility complies with requirements of this section prior to transporting workers to the facility.

(3) The operator must revise the facility's written TWH management plan to include implementation of the requirements in this section, as applicable.

(a) The plan must identify a single point of contact at the TWH for COVID-19 related issues.

(b) The operator must share the plan with all occupants on the first day the plan is operational or the first day the occupant arrives at the TWH. The operator must designate a person that will ensure all occupants are aware of all aspects of the plan and be available to answer questions.

(c) If changes are made to the TWH management plan, the operator must submit the revised TWH management plan to the state department of health within ten calendar days of the effective date of this section.

(d) Failure to submit a revised plan or properly implement the requirements of this section may result in administrative action, including license suspension or fines.

(4) Consistent with WAC 296-307-16120(1), an operator may request a temporary variance from the requirements of this section when another means of providing equal protection is provided.

(5) In the event that any provisions of this section are in conflict with other regulations in this chapter, such other regulation shall be deemed superseded for purposes of this chapter.