H-3905.1  _______________________________________________

                          HOUSE BILL 2902

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      53rd Legislature     1994 Regular Session

By Representatives Wineberry, Dorn and Jones

Read first time 02/02/94.  Referred to Committee on Commerce & Labor.

Creating an advisory committee for the purpose of addressing the issue of indoor air pollutants.

    AN ACT Relating to ensuring health and safety in housing and inhabited spaces as it relates to airborne and applied materials; amending RCW 49.17.210; adding a new section to chapter 49.17 RCW; and creating new sections.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  It is the intent of the legislature that housing and inhabited spaces remain as free as possible of unnecessary pollutants that may be hazardous to the occupants and workers on the premises.  The legislature recognizes that many commonly used airborne and applied materials can be harmful if misused or misapplied and that it is in the interest of the state and the general public to ensure the safe handling of potentially hazardous materials.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  The director of the department of labor and industries shall create an advisory committee to consult with the department on matters relating to airborne and applied materials that may be hazardous to human health.  The committee shall report back to the legislature prior to January 1, 1995, recommending necessary legislation to ensure the safe handling and application of these materials.

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

    The department of labor and industries may receive gifts, grants, and endowments from public or private sources that may be made from time to time, in trust or otherwise, for the use and benefit of the purposes of this chapter, and spend the gifts, grants, endowments, or any income from the public or private sources according to their terms.

    Sec. 4.  RCW 49.17.210 and 1991 c 89 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:

    The director is authorized to conduct, either directly or by grant or contract, research, experiments, and demonstrations as may be of aid and assistance in the furtherance of the objects and purposes of this chapter.  Employer identity, employee identity, and personal identifiers of voluntary participants in research, experiments, and demonstrations shall be deemed confidential and shall ((not)) be open to public inspection only with the written permission of the voluntary participants.  Information obtained from ((such)) voluntary activities shall not be deemed to be medical information for the purpose of RCW 51.36.060 and shall be deemed confidential and shall not be open to public inspection.  The director, in his or her discretion, is authorized to grant a variance from any rule or regulation or portion thereof, whenever he or she determines that such a variance is necessary to permit an employer to participate in an experiment approved by the director, and the experiment is designed to demonstrate or validate new and improved techniques to safeguard the health or safety of employees.  Any ((such)) variance shall require that all due regard be given to the health and safety of all employees participating in any experiment.

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