February 27, 2024
Teens working at Sky Zone trampoline park in Vancouver, Washington, did not receive meal breaks, and worked more hours than the law allows during school times, an investigation by the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries shows. L&I said …
January 26, 2024
A 16-year-old boy was using a walk-behind trencher on a job site in La Center, Washington to dig a channel for fence posts over the summer when he was dragged underneath the blade, causing injuries so severe that he lost …
December 11, 2023
A Yakima, Washington, fruit grower and processor was fined nearly $300,000 by the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries after two orchard workers died in tractor rollovers almost exactly a month apart. The first fatality reportedly occurred May 7, …
December 1, 2023
The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries announced a 4.9% increase in the average workers’ compensation premium rate for 2024. The increase, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2024, means employers and workers will jointly pay, on average, an additional …
September 20, 2023
The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries is proposing a 4.9% increase in the average hourly rate employers and workers will pay for workers’ compensation insurance next year. If adopted, the increase would have employers and workers jointly paying …
September 1, 2023
A Pierce County, Washington man who removed and installed roofs while claiming he was too injured to work has pleaded guilty to stealing workers’ compensation benefits. Patrick Dean Farthing, 64, pleaded guilty recently to third-degree theft, a gross misdemeanor. The …
June 27, 2023
The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries is proposing updated workplace safety rules for petroleum refineries designed to prevent catastrophic events like the 2010 explosion that killed seven workers at the former Tesoro refinery in Anacortes. The proposed update …
May 19, 2023
The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries filed proposed permanent wildfire smoke rules and launched a formal process for public input designed to protect people who work outdoor jobs like construction, agriculture, roofing, roadwork and other industries. When these …
March 23, 2023
Proponents of a new proposal this week to update Washington’s permanent heat rules say they will increase protections for agricultural, construction, and other workers exposed to dangerous outdoor temperatures on the job. The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries …
February 20, 2023
A Washington contractor who claimed he was too injured to work despite reportedly running his own construction company was ordered to pay back the state more than $127,000. Daniel Joseph Lesieur, of Washougal, pleaded guilty to felony second-degree theft for …