S-1756.1          _______________________________________________

                            SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5121

                  _______________________________________________

State of Washington              54th Legislature             1995 Regular Session

By Senate Committee on Agriculture & Agricultural Trade & Development (originally sponsored by Senators Rasmussen, Morton, Snyder, Newhouse, Loveland, A. Anderson, Hochstatter, Haugen and Deccio)

Read first time 02/23/95.

Providing for agricultural safety standards.

     AN ACT Relating to agricultural safety standards; adding new sections to chapter 49.17 RCW; and creating new sections.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  The legislature finds that:

     (1) The state's highly productive and efficient agricultural sector is composed predominately of family-owned and managed farms and an industrious and efficient work force;

     (2) A reasonable level of safety regulations is needed to protect workers;

     (3) The smaller but highly efficient farming operations would benefit from safety rules that are easily referenced and agriculture-specific to the extent possible; and

     (4) There should be lead time between the adoption of agriculture safety rules and their effective date in order to allow the department of labor and industries to provide training, education, and enhanced consultation services to family-owned and managed farms.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 49.17 RCW to read as follows:

     (1) The department shall delay until December 15, 1995, the effective date of agriculture safety rules adopted after January 1, 1995, under chapter 49.17 RCW.

     (2) These rules must:

     (a) Establish, for agricultural employers, an agriculture safety standard that includes agriculture-specific rules and specific references to the general industry safety standard adopted under chapter 49.17 RCW; and

     (b) Exempt agricultural employers from the general industry safety standard adopted under chapter 49.17 RCW for all rules not specifically referenced in the agriculture safety standard.

     (3) The department shall publish in one volume all of the occupational safety rules that apply to agricultural employers and shall make this volume available to all agricultural employers before December 15, 1995.  This volume must be available in both English and Spanish.

     (4) The department shall provide training, education, and enhanced consultation services concerning its agricultural safety rules to agricultural employers before the rules' effective dates.  The training, education, and consultation must continue throughout the winter of 1995-1996.  Training and education programs must be provided throughout the state and must be coordinated with agricultural associations in order to meet their members' needs.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.  A new section is added to chapter 49.17 RCW to read as follows:

     Other than rules described in section 2 of this act, the director may adopt, in accordance with chapter 34.05 RCW, rules concerning agriculture safety, other than emergency rules, only:

     (1) As specifically required by federal law, and only to the extent specifically required; or

     (2) As specifically authorized by the legislature.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4.  This act is remedial in nature and applies to rules adopted after January 1, 1995.

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