Wash. Admin. Code § 296-155-012
Note: Unless the context indicates otherwise, words used in this chapter must have the meaning given in this section. Certain parts of this chapter contain definitions as they apply to that particular part.
Approved. Approved by the director of the department of labor and industries or authorized representative: Provided, however, That should a provision of this chapter state that approval by an agency or organization other than the department of labor and industries is required, such as Underwriters' Laboratories or the bureau of mines, the provisions of WAC 296-155-006 must apply.
Assistant director. The individual in charge of the division of consultation and compliance, department of labor and industries, or an authorized representative.
Authorized person. A person approved or assigned by the employer to perform a specific type of duty or duties or be at a specific location or locations at the workplace.
Competent person. One who is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings or working conditions which are unsanitary, hazardous, or dangerous to employees, and who has authorization to take prompt corrective action to eliminate them.
Confined space. A space that:
(1) Is large enough and so configured that an employee can bodily enter and perform assigned work; and
(2) Has limited or restricted means for entry or exit (for example, tanks, vessels, silos, storage bins, hoppers, vaults, and pits are spaces that may have limited means of entry); and
(3) Is not designed for continuous employee occupancy.
Construction work. All or any part of excavation, construction, erection, alteration, repair, demolition, and dismantling, of buildings and other structures and all operations in connection therewith; the excavation, construction, alteration and repair of sewers, trenches, caissons, conduits, pipe lines, roads and all operations pertaining thereto; the moving of buildings and other structures, and to the construction, alteration, repair, or removal of wharfs, docks, bridges, culverts, trestles, piers, abutments or any other construction, alteration, repair or removal work related thereto.
Defect. Any characteristic or condition which tends to weaken or reduce the strength of the tool, object, or structure of which it is a part.
Department. The department of labor and industries.
Designated person. "Authorized person" as defined in this section.
Director. The director of the department of labor and industries, or his/her designated representative.
Division. The division of consultation and compliance of the department.
Employer. Any person, firm, corporation, partnership, business trust, legal representative, or other business entity which engages in any business, industry, profession, or activity in this state and employs one or more employees or who contracts with one or more persons, the essence of which is the personal labor of such person or persons and includes the state, counties, cities, and all municipal corporations, public corporations, political subdivisions of the state, and charitable organizations: Provided, that any person, partnership, or business entity not having employees, and who is covered by the industrial insurance act must be considered both an employer and an employee.
Equipment. All machinery, devices, tools, facilities, safeguards, and protective construction used in connection with construction operations.
Ground fault circuit interrupter. A fast acting circuit breaker that is sensitive to very low levels of current leakage to ground. The device is designed to limit the electric shock to a current and time duration below that which can cause serious injury.
Hazard. A condition, potential or inherent, which is likely to cause injury, death, or occupational disease.
Hazardous substance. A substance which, by reason of being explosive, flammable, poisonous, corrosive, oxidizing, irritating, or otherwise harmful, is likely to cause death or injury.
Maintenance. The work of keeping a building, machine, roadway, etc., in a state of good repair.
Must. The provision(s) of the standard are mandatory.
Part. A major division, of this chapter, relating to a specific topic or topics and containing various sections, subsections, etc.
Permit-required confined space (permit space). A confined space that has one or more of the following characteristics:
(1) Contains or has a potential to contain a hazardous atmosphere;
(2) Contains a material that has the potential for engulfing an entrant;
(3) Has an internal configuration such that an entrant could be trapped or asphyxiated by inwardly converging walls or by a floor which slopes downward and tapers to a smaller cross-section; or
(4) Contains any other recognized serious safety or health hazard.
Qualified. One who, by possession of a recognized degree, certificate, or professional standing, or who by extensive knowledge, training, and experience, has successfully demonstrated their ability to solve or resolve problems relating to the subject matter, the work, or the project.
Repair. To restore a building, machine, roadway, etc., to an original state after damage or decay.
Safety factor. The ratio of the ultimate breaking strength of a member or piece of material or equipment to the actual working stress or safe load when in use.
Safety and health standard. A standard which requires the adoption or use of one or more practices, means, methods, operations, or processes reasonably necessary or appropriate to provide safe or healthful employment and places of employment.
Substantial. Constructed of such strength, of such material, and of such workmanship, that the object referred to will withstand all normal wear, shock and usage.
Standard safeguard. A device designed and constructed with the object of removing the hazard of accident incidental to the machine, appliance, tool, building, or equipment to which it is attached.
Standard safeguards must be constructed of either metal or wood or other suitable material or a combination of these. The final determination of the sufficiency of any safeguard rests with the director of the department of labor and industries through the division of consultation and compliance.
Suitable. That which fits, or has the qualities or qualifications to meet a given purpose, occasion, condition, function, or circumstance.
Working day. A calendar day, except Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays as set forth in RCW 1.16.050, as now or hereafter amended, and for the purposes of the computation of time within which an act is to be done under the provisions of this chapter, must be computed by excluding the first working day and including the last working day.
Worker, personnel, man, person, employee, and other terms of like meaning, unless the context of the provision containing such term indicates otherwise. An employee of an employer who is employed in the business of their employer whether by way of manual labor or otherwise and every person in this state who is engaged in the employment of or who is working under an independent contract the essence of which is their personal labor for an employer whether by manual labor or otherwise.
Work place. Any plant, yard, premises, room, or other place where an employee or employees are employed for the performance of labor or service over which the employer has the right of access or control, and includes, but is not limited to, all work places covered by industrial insurance under Title 51 RCW, as now or hereafter amended.
Abbreviations used in this chapter:
ANSI. American National Standards Institute.
API. American Petroleum Institute.
ASA. American Standards Association.
ASAE. American Society of Agricultural Engineers.
ASHRE. American Society of Heating and Refrigeration Engineers.
ASME. American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
ASTM. American Society of Testing and Materials.
AWS. American Welding Society.
BTU. British thermal unit.
BTUH. British thermal unit per hour.
CFM. Cubic feet per minute.
C.F.R. Code of Federal Register.
CGA. Compressed Gas Association.
CIE. Commission Internationale de l' Eclairage.
DOT. Department of transportation.
DOSH. Division of Occupational Safety and Health.
FRP. Fiberglass reinforced plastic.
GPM. Gallons per minute.
ICC. Interstate Commerce Commission.
ID. Inside diameter.
LPG. Liquefied petroleum gas.
MCA. Manufacturing Chemist Association.
MSHA. United States Department of Labor, Mine Safety and Health Administration.
NBFU. National Board of Fire Underwriters.
NEMA. National Electrical Manufacturing Association.
NFPA. National Fire Protection Association.
NTP. Normal temperature and pressure.
OD. Outside diameter.
PSI. Pounds per square inch.
PSIA. Pounds per square inch absolute.
PSIG. Pounds per square inch gauge.
RMA. Rubber Manufacturers Association.
SAE. Society of Automotive Engineers.
TFI. The Fertilizer Institute.
TSC. Trailer Standard Code.
UL. Underwriters' Laboratories, Inc.
USASI. United States of America Standards Institute.
USCG. United States Coast Guard.
WAC. Washington Administrative Code.
WISHA. Washington Industrial Safety and Health Act of 1973.
Wash. Admin. Code § 296-155-012
Statutory Authority: Chapter 49.17 RCW. 95-04-007, § 296-155-012, filed 1/18/95, effective 3/1/95. Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.040 and 49.17.050. 86-03-074 (Order 86-14), § 296-155-012, filed 1/21/86; Order 74-26, § 296-155-012, filed 5/7/74, effective 6/6/74.