The state will have public hearings on proposed permanent rules for temporary worker housing.
The proposed changes focus on ventilation and communicable diseases and come after nine sets of emergency rules that were between May 2020 and September 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to information from the Department of Labor and Industries.
The proposed rules would require a temporary worker housing management plan to be submitted to the Department of Health and provided to occupants in a language they understand. There are specific regulations for ventilation and the number of people in housing, whether that's buildings or tents.
L&I would require operators of temporary worker housing to cooperate and work with local health authorities when illnesses or diseases meet certain standards.
Public hearings will take place in Mount Vernon, Wenatchee and Kennewick on June 26, 27 and 28 respectively. A virtual hearing will be held on Zoom on June 20.
L&I staff will be available one hour before the public hearing to give information about the proposed rules and answer some questions.
Comments can be submitted to L&I staff member Cynthia Ireland at Cynthia.Ireland@Lni.wa.gov or 360-902-5522.
