S-4071               _______________________________________________

                                                   SENATE BILL NO. 4977

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State of Washington                              49th Legislature                              1986 Regular Session

By Senators Gaspard, Warnke and Vognild

Read first time 1/24/86 and referred to Committee on Commerce & Labor.

AN ACT Relating to industrial health and safety; and adding new sections 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 legislature recognizes that many employees are in the workplace outside of regular working hours.  Employees who work evenings, weekends, or holidays must wait until regular working hours before they can seek assistance about unsafe or hazardous working conditions they were exposed to at work.  This waiting period sometimes lasts for days before someone is available to respond.  The legislature finds that it is important to protect the health and safety of all employees, and that a mechanism is needed to quickly respond to employees who are subjected to hazardous or unsafe conditions.

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

          The director of the department of labor and industries shall establish a toll-free telephone line within the department to respond to employees who are exposed to safety and health hazards at work.  The telephone line shall be operational twenty-four hours a day.