WAC 296-17-31015   General inclusions.  When are certain operations like delivery drivers included in a basic classification and when are they excluded? There are certain operations, such as delivery of goods or merchandise, which are routinely found in the businesses we insure. We refer to these operations as general inclusions to a basic classification. Although these operations are sometimes covered by a specific basic classification, we will not assign separate basic classifications to a business to cover these operations unless it was, coincidentally, the nature of the employer's business. General inclusion operations are support functions or operations of a business and, as such, are usually included within the scope of each basic classification. The determination of whether or not these operations will be included within the scope of a basic classification is made when the basic classification is first developed. That is why some basic classifications will exclude certain operations and others will include them. Unless the wording of a basic classification specifically excludes any operation listed below, they are to be included. The more common general inclusion operations are:

•	Aircraft travel by employees in connection with the business of the employer, other than members of the flying crew.

•	Commissaries and restaurants for the employers' employees. However, such operations, when operated in connection with construction, erection, lumbering, or mining, will be assigned classification 3905 - restaurants.

•	Manufacture of containers, such as bags, barrels, bottles, boxes, cans, cartons, wooden pallets, or packing cases by employees of the employers for use in the employer's operations.

•	Hospitals, medical facilities, or dispensaries operated by employers for their employees.

•	Printing, lithography, or similar operations of the employer when used exclusively for their own products or needs.

•	Maintenance or ordinary repair of the employer's building or equipment when performed by employees of the employer.

•	Pick up and delivery when performed by employees of the employer in connection with the business of the employer.

•	Sales of all products being manufactured by the employer.

•	Warehousing, handling, packing, and shipping when performed by employees of the employer in connection with the business of the employer.

•	Testing or analytical laboratories when operated by employees of the employer in connection with the business of the employer.

     Example: Picture the variety of delivery vans and trucks you encounter as you drive down a highway. In this example, there is a company-owned truck delivering grocery items, a van that delivers parcels and packages, a moving van transporting household furnishings for a customer, and a common carrier company hauling goods from one state to another. Even though the drivers of these vehicles are performing similar duties (hauling goods/driving on a freeway), we would not assign them to the same basic classification. Our classification policy requires us to assign classifications based on the type of the businesses they work for and to consider the overall operations of that business. We learn that the truck delivering grocery items was owned by a retail grocery store and they were transporting goods from a central warehouse to one of their stores. Since the employer is engaged in operating retail grocery stores we would begin our classification search by looking for a classification that covers retail grocery stores. Our search discloses classification 6402 which covers retail grocery stores. A review of the wording of that classification does not require drivers to be reported in another classification so the grocery store classification would include the driver. Now, assume that the driver of the van delivering parcels and packages is an employee of a drug store. Drug stores are covered in classification 6406. A review of that classification reveals that drivers are to be reported separately in classification 1101. Therefore the driver would be reported in classification 1101 and not classification 6406. Moving and storage companies are covered in classification 6907. Since this classification does not exclude drivers, the driver would be reported in classification 6907. And, finally, we would assign the interstate/intrastate trucking classification 1102 to the common carrier trucking operation.



[Statutory Authority: RCW 51.16.035. 98-18-042, § 296-17-31015, filed 8/28/98, effective 10/1/98.]