WAC 296-45-075   Employer's safety program.  (1) The employer shall hold safety meetings at least once a month, which meetings shall be held at a reasonable time and place as selected by the employer. The employer shall require all employees subject to provisions of this chapter to attend said meetings: Provided, That employees whose presence is otherwise required by reason of an emergency or whose function is such that they cannot leave their station or cease their work without serious detriment to the service provided, such as dispatcher, may be excused from such meeting under those circumstances. Minutes shall be kept of each safety meeting and retained for a period of one year.

     (2) The employer or a representative(s) designated shall investigate all accidents or injuries of a serious nature and, where possible, take the proper remedial steps to prevent the occurrence of similar accidents.

     (3) The employer shall furnish instructions stating the proper procedure in event of an emergency, which shall include the names of those individuals to be notified and methods of contacting them.

     (4) The employer shall provide and make available to all employees accident report and safety suggestion forms or other approved methods. Safety suggestion forms should, where possible, be used for suggesting the elimination of hazardous conditions and such reported suggestions shall be retained (for one year) by the employer or an authorized representative.

     (5) The employer must notify the department of employee fatalities or catastrophes according to the requirements of WAC 296-800-320.

     (6) Nothing contained within this chapter shall prohibit an employer or an authorized representative from disciplining employees for failure to comply with the provisions of this or any other safety code.

     (7) Existing conditions related to the safety of the work to be performed shall be determined before work on or near electric lines or equipment is started. Such conditions include, but are not limited to, the nominal voltages of lines and equipment, the maximum switching transient voltages, the presence of hazardous induced voltages, the presence and condition of protective grounds and equipment grounding conductors, the condition of poles, environmental conditions relative to safety, and the locations of circuits and equipment, including power and communication lines and fire protective signaling circuits.



[Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, [49.17].040, and[49.17].050 . 01-11-038, § 296-45-075, filed 5/9/01, effective 9/1/01. Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, [49.17].040,[49.17].050 and [49.17].060. 98-07-009, § 296-45-075, filed 3/6/98, effective 5/6/98.]