Read first time 01/17/12.   Referred to Committee on Labor & Workforce Development.

     AN ACT Relating to improving workplace safety and health by enacting the blueprint for safety program; and adding a new section to chapter 49.17 RCW.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   A new section is added to chapter 49.17 RCW to read as follows:
     The blueprint for safety program is established. The goal of the program is to improve safety for employees and lower costs for employers by assisting those employers for which the traditional safety and health model has not been effective. The department shall design the program to promote management and labor leadership in safety and health as essential for long-term success. The criteria for participation may include, but are not limited to: A history with the department indicating a less than optimal leadership commitment to safety and health, a rising experience modification factor, a recent catastrophic workplace injury, a change in the employer's safety management, and a request by the employer to participate. The department shall offer the program statewide in a phased manner. The department shall post information on its web page to provide information about the program to employers. Participation by an employer is voluntary and subject to approval by the department. The program shall supplement, but not replace any of, the department's existing compliance or consultation programs. The department shall adopt rules to establish criteria for participation in the blueprint for safety program, and shall initiate rule making in 2012.