WAC 296-17-31013   Building construction.  (1) Does this same classification approach apply to building and construction contractors?

     Yes, but it may not appear that way without further explanation. We classify contractors by phase and type of construction since it is common for each contract to vary in scope.

     Example: A contractor who builds and remodels private residences may frame the structure and work on no other phases of the project. On another job the same contractor may do only the interior finish carpentry. On still another job the contractor may install a wood deck or build a garden arbor. Each of these carpentry activities is covered by a different classification code. To ensure that contractor businesses receive the same treatment as other businesses, we assign classifications according to the phases and types of construction they contract to perform. Since some contractors specialize in one area of construction, such as plumbing, roofing, insulation, or electrical services, this classification approach mirrors that of nonbuilding contractor businesses. The policy of assigning several basic classifications to contractors engaged in multiple phases of construction may seem to be in conflict with the classification approach used for nonbuilding contractor businesses, but we have simply used the multiple business classification approach.

     If we have assigned multiple classifications to your construction business you should take special care in maintaining the records required in the auditing and recordkeeping section of this manual. If we discover that you have failed to keep the required records we will assign all worker hours for which the records were not maintained to the highest rated classification applicable to the work that was performed.

     (2) Who does this rule apply to?

     If you are a building, construction or erection contractor and we have assigned one or more of the following classifications to your business, this rule applies to you: 0101, 0103, 0104, 0105, 0107, 0108, 0112, 0201, 0202, 0210, 0212, 0214, 0217, 0219, 0301, 0302, 0303, 0306, 0307, 0403, 0502, 0504, 0507, 0508, 0509, 0510, 0511, 0512, 0513, 0514, 0516, 0517, 0518, 0519, 0521, 0540, 0541, 0550, 0551, 0601, 0602, 0603, 0607, 0608, and 0701.

     (3) Can I have a single classification assigned to my business to cover a specific construction project?

     Yes, to simplify recordkeeping and reporting requirements we will assign a single classification to cover an entire project.

     (4) How do I request the single classification for one of my construction projects?

     You should send your request to the attention of your account manager at the address below:


     Department of Labor and Industries

     P.O. Box 44144

     Olympia, Washington 98504-4144


     (5) If I have asked for a single classification on one of my construction projects, how do you determine which classification will apply?

     You must supply us with a description of the project and a break down of the total number of hours of exposure by phase of construction that you are responsible for.

     Example: You notify us that your company will be responsible for all plumbing and iron erection work on a commercial building site. You have requested a single classification for this project. In your request you tell us that you estimate that it will take one thousand work hours to perform all the plumbing work and five hundred work hours to do the steel erection work.

     With this information we will estimate the premiums by classification.

     Example: We determine that the plumbing work is covered under classification 0306 and the steel erection work is covered under classification 0518. Assume that classification 0306 has an hourly premium rate of $1.50 and classification 0518 has an hourly premium rate of $2.55. We estimate the total premium on this job to be $2,775 (1,000 hours x $1.50 = $1,500 + 500 hours x $2.55 = $1,275).

     Our next step in this process is to develop an average hourly rate for the project. We will use this information to select the single classification which will apply to this project.

     Example: We will take the estimated premium ($2,775) and divide this number by the estimated hours (1,500) and arrive at an average hourly rate of $1.85.

     To select the single classification that will apply to a construction project, we will compare the average hourly rate that we have computed to the rates of the classifications applicable to the project. We will select the classification whose hourly rate is the closest to the average hourly rate that we computed from the information you supplied us with.

     Example: From the information you supplied, we have determined that the average hourly rate for this project is $1.85. We also know that the rate for the plumbing classification (0306) is $1.50 per hour and the rate for steel erection is $2.55 per hour. We would assign classification 0306 as the single classification applicable to this project.

     (6) How will I know what classification will apply to my construction project?

     We will send you a written notice which will specify the basic classification and premium rate that will apply to this project.

     (7) If I have asked for a single classification to cover one of my construction projects, am I required to use the single classification which you gave me?

     No, but you should call your account manager to verify what other classifications would apply to the project. The name and phone number of your account manager can be found on your quarterly premium report or your annual rate notice. For your convenience you can call us at 360-902-4817 and we will put you in contact with your assigned account manager.

     (8) I am a general construction or erection contractor, I subcontract all my work and have no employees of my own. Do I have to report to the department of labor and industries?

     No, since you do not have employees, you do not need to report to the department of labor and industries. You should be aware that the workers' compensation insurance laws of Washington include certain independent contractors as workers. If we determine that an independent contractor that you used qualifies as a covered worker, you will be responsible for the premium due for their work time. You can also be held responsible for premiums due to labor and industries if you subcontract with an unregistered contractor and they fail to pay premiums on behalf of their employees. It is in your best interest to make sure that your subcontractors are registered contractors in good standing by confirming their status on the department's web site or contacting your account manager.

     (9) Am I required to keep any special records of subcontractors that I use?

     Yes, you are required to keep certain information about the subcontractors that you use. The information required is:

     • Subcontractor's legal name;

     • Contractor registration number and expiration date;

     • UBI number (or labor and industries account ID number).

     If you supply materials to a subcontractor, also keep a record of the:

     • Amount of material supplied;

     • Project name or location;

     • Date material was supplied; and

     • Completion date of contracted work.

     Failure to maintain these records may result in the subcontractor being considered a covered worker for whom you must report hours.

     (10) What classification should I use to report construction site cleanup by my employees? You should report the cleanup of construction debris in the same classification that applied to the work which generated the debris unless another classification treatment is provided for in other rules. For example, if you are a roofing contractor and you have an employee pick up roofing debris at the construction (project) site, you would report the employee involved in the site cleanup in the roofing classification (0507). If you are the general contractor at a construction site and have either classification 0510 "wood frame building construction" or classification 0518 "nonwood frame building construction" assigned to your business, you would report site cleanup in the classification applicable to the type of building you are constructing. For example, if you are a general contractor and you are engaged in building a single-family wood frame dwelling, you would report construction site cleanup by your employees in classification 0510 "wood frame building construction."

     (11) I am a construction site clean-up contractor, my employees only pick up construction debris, we do no construction work, what classification do I report site cleanup in? If your employees are collecting and/or removing construction site debris, you would report in classification 4305-22. If your employees are collecting and/or removing nonconstruction debris such as household junk, garden waste, basement debris, furniture and appliances, you would also report in classification 4305-22. If you have contracts to clean up construction debris and also provide preoccupancy clean up work and are not a construction contractor, then you can divide hours between the two risk classifications 4305-22 and 6602-03 providing accurate accounting records are kept for both activities.

     (12) What classification should I use to report the work time of my employees when they are involved in the set up of scaffolding, hoists, cranes, towers or elevators at a construction site? We use the same classification treatment for this type of work as we do with construction site cleanup. For example, if you are a roofing contractor and you have an employee set up scaffolding at the construction (project) site, you would report the employee involved in the set up of scaffolding in the roofing classification (0507). If you are the general contractor at a construction site and have either classification 0510 "wood frame building construction" or classification 0518 "nonwood frame building construction" assigned to your business, you would report the set up of scaffolding at the construction in the classification applicable to the type of building you are constructing. For example, if you are a general contractor and you are engaged in building a single-family wood frame dwelling, you would report scaffolding set up by your employees in classification 0510 "wood frame building construction." Helicopter services that are engaged to assist in lifting beams, air conditioning units, statues and other objects onto buildings or structures are to be reported separately in classification 6803.

     (13) Is preoccupancy cleanup of a building by my employees classified the same as debris cleanup at a construction site? Since your understanding of what preoccupancy clean-up work is may be different from ours, we need to share with you our understanding before we can answer this question. Our understanding in this area is that preoccupancy cleanup occurs after the building is finished. The clean-up work consists of washing paint and overspray from windows, vacuuming carpets, washing floors and fixtures, and dusting woodwork, doors and cabinets. If you have employees whose duties are limited to this type of cleaning, we will allow you to report their work time in classification 6602 "janitors."

     (14) If I have an employee who does some construction work, construction site cleanup and preoccupancy cleanup, can I divide their work time between the janitor and a construction classification? No, we will not permit you to divide the work time of an employee between the janitor classification and a construction classification. If you have an employee who does preoccupancy clean-up work for you, and that employee also performs other nonpreoccupancy clean-up work for you such as construction work, shop work or construction site debris clean-up work, then you must report all of their work time in the applicable construction or nonshop classification.



[Statutory Authority: RCW 51.16.035, 51.16.100, 2008 c 70, and Title 51 RCW. 08-15-132, § 296-17-31013, filed 7/22/08, effective 10/1/08. Statutory Authority: RCW 51.06.035, 51.08.010, 51.04.020. 07-12-045, § 296-17-31013, filed 5/31/07, effective 7/1/07. Statutory Authority: RCW 51.16.035, 51.16.100. 06-12-075, § 296-17-31013, filed 6/6/06, effective 1/1/07; 05-12-031, § 296-17-31013, filed 5/24/05, effective 7/1/05. Statutory Authority: 2004 c 243, RCW 51.04.020 and 51.16.035. 04-20-023, § 296-17-31013, filed 9/28/04, effective 11/1/04. Statutory Authority: RCW 51.04.020 and 51.16.035. 04-18-025, § 296-17-31013, filed 8/24/04, effective 10/1/04; 04-13-017, § 296-17-31013, filed 6/4/04, effective 7/5/04. Statutory Authority: RCW 51.16.035. 01-23-059, § 296-17-31013, filed 11/20/01, effective 1/1/02; 99-18-068, § 296-17-31013, filed 8/31/99, effective 10/1/99; 98-18-042, § 296-17-31013, filed 8/28/98, effective 10/1/98.]