Source: https://app.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx?cite=296-855&full=true
Timestamp: 2019-10-20 11:57:17
Document Index: 766533015

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 296', '§ 296', '§ 296', '§ 296', '§ 296', '§ 296', '§ 296', '§ 296', '§ 296', '§ 296', '§ 296', '§ 296', '§ 296', '§ 296', '§ 296', '§ 296', '§ 296', '§ 296', '§ 296', '§ 296', '§ 296', '§ 296', '§ 296', '§ 296', '§ 296', '§ 296', '§ 296', '§ 296', '§ 296', '§ 296', '§ 296', '§ 296', '§ 296', '§ 296', '§ 296', '§ 296']

Chapter 296-855 WAC:
296-855-099 Definitions.
296-855-100 Scope.
296-855-200 Basic rules.
296-855-20010 Preventive practices.
296-855-20020 Exposure control areas.
296-855-20040 Personal protective equipment (PPE).
296-855-20050 Exposure evaluations.
296-855-20060 Notification.
296-855-20070 Exposure records.
296-855-20080 Documentation records.
296-855-20090 Training.
296-855-300 Exposure and medical monitoring.
296-855-30010 Periodic exposure monitoring.
296-855-30030 Medical evaluations.
296-855-30080 Medical records.
296-855-400 Exposure control.
296-855-40010 Exposure control plan.
296-855-40030 Exposure controls.
296-855-40040 Respirators.
296-855-420 Communication of hazards.
296-855-500 Definitions. [Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, 49.17.060 and 29 C.F.R. 1910 Subpart Z. WSR 14-07-086, § 296-855-500, filed 3/18/14, effective 5/1/14. Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, and 49.17.060. WSR 05-17-168, § 296-855-500, filed 8/23/05, effective 1/1/06.] Repealed by WSR 18-22-116, filed 11/6/18, effective 12/7/18. Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, and 49.17.060.
296-855-099
296-855-100
296-855-200
WAC 296-855-20010
[Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, and 49.17.060. WSR 18-22-116, § 296-855-200, filed 11/6/18, effective 12/7/18; WSR 05-17-168, § 296-855-200, filed 8/23/05, effective 1/1/06.]
296-855-20010
(1) You must make sure that all containers of EtO whose contents are capable of causing employee exposure above the action level or above the STEL are labeled, tagged, or marked with this warning, stating that breathing airborne concentrations of EtO is hazardous.
(2) You must keep container labels free of statements that contradict or detract from the labels' hazard warning.
• EtO is highly flammable and should be kept in a tightly covered container, and in a cool, well-ventilated area away from any type of ignition source.
(3) You must make sure warning labels remain on containers of EtO when these containers are transported.
1. Reaction vessels, storage tanks, and pipes or piping systems are not considered to be containers and do not require labeling.
2. Labeling requirements do not apply when EtO:
a. Is used as a pesticide as defined by the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticides Act (7 U.S.C. 136 et seq.); and
b. Meets the Environmental Protection Agency labeling requirements for pesticides.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, and 49.17.060. WSR 18-22-116, § 296-855-20010, filed 11/6/18, effective 12/7/18. Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, 49.17.060 and 29 C.F.R. 1910 Subpart Z. WSR 14-07-086, § 296-855-20010, filed 3/18/14, effective 5/1/14. Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, 49.17.060. WSR 05-17-168, § 296-855-20010, filed 8/23/05, effective 1/1/06.]
296-855-20020
(1) You must establish temporary or permanent exposure control areas where airborne concentrations of ethylene oxide (EtO) exceed or could exceed the permissible exposure limits (PELs) by doing all the following:
(a) Clearly identify the boundaries of exposure control areas in any way that minimizes employee access.
(b) Post signs at access points to exposure control areas that:
(i) Are easy to read (for example, they are kept clean and well lit); and
(ii) Include this warning:
(2) You must keep signs and areas near them free of statements that contradict or detract from their message.
• This requirement does not prevent you from posting other signs.
(3) You must allow only authorized personnel to enter exposure control areas.
1. When identifying the boundaries of exposure control areas you should consider factors such as:
a. The level and duration of airborne exposure.
b. Whether the area is permanent or temporary.
c. The number of employees in adjacent areas.
2. You may use permanent or temporary enclosures, caution tape, ropes, painted lines on surfaces, or other materials to visibly distinguish exposure control areas or separate them from the rest of the workplace.
(4) You must make sure employees entering exposure control areas have appropriate respirators available for use.
(5) You must prevent all of the following activities from occurring in exposure control areas:
(a) Eating food.
(b) Drinking beverages.
(d) Chewing tobacco or gum.
(e) Applying cosmetics.
(f) Storing food, beverages, or cosmetics.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, and 49.17.060. WSR 18-22-116, § 296-855-20020, filed 11/6/18, effective 12/7/18. Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, 49.17.060 and 29 C.F.R. 1910 Subpart Z. WSR 14-07-086, § 296-855-20020, filed 3/18/14, effective 5/1/14. Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, 49.17.060. WSR 05-17-168, § 296-855-20020, filed 8/23/05, effective 1/1/06.]
296-855-20040
(1) You must make sure employees wear appropriate PPE as protection from skin or eye contact with ethylene oxide (EtO), liquid EtO, or EtO solutions.
(2) You must provide appropriate PPE at no cost to employees.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, and 49.17.060. WSR 18-22-116, § 296-855-20040, filed 11/6/18, effective 12/7/18; WSR 05-17-168, § 296-855-20040, filed 8/23/05, effective 1/1/06.]
296-855-20050
296-855-20060
(1) You must provide written notification of exposure monitoring results to employees represented by your exposure evaluation, within five business days after monitoring results become known to you.
(2) In addition, when employee exposure monitoring results are above either the TWA8 or STEL permissible exposure limit (PEL), you must provide written notification of all the following within fifteen business days after the results become known to you:
(a) Corrective actions being taken and a schedule for completion; and
(b) Any reason why exposures can not be lowered to below the PELs.
1. You can either notify employees individually or post the notifications in areas readily accessible to affected employees.
2. Posted notification may need specific information that allows affected employees to determine which monitoring results apply to them.
4. When notifying employees about corrective actions, your notification may refer them to a separate document that is available and provides the required information.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, and 49.17.060. WSR 18-22-116, § 296-855-20060, filed 11/6/18, effective 12/7/18; WSR 05-17-168, § 296-855-20060, filed 8/23/05, effective 1/1/06.]
296-855-20070
(1) You must establish and keep complete and accurate records for all exposure monitoring evaluations conducted under this chapter. Make sure the record includes, at least:
(a) The name, unique identifier, and job classification of:
(i) The employee sampled; and
(ii) All other employees represented by the sampled employee.
(b) A description of the methods used to obtain exposure monitoring results and evidence of the methods' accuracy.
(c) The operation being monitored for employee exposure to EtO.
(d) A description of the procedure used to obtain representative employee exposure monitoring results.
(e) The date, number, duration, location, and the result of each sample taken.
(f) Any environmental conditions that could affect exposure concentration measurements.
(g) Any personal protective equipment (PPE) worn by the employee including the type of respirator.
• You can use Steps three through six of the exposure evaluation process in Exposure evaluations, WAC 296-855-20050, to create a description of the procedure you used for obtaining representative employee exposure monitoring results.
(2) You must keep exposure monitoring records for at least thirty years.
1. To see additional requirements for employee exposure records including access, and transfer requirements, go to another chapter, Employee medical and exposure records, chapter 296-802 WAC.
2. Exposure monitoring records need to be kept longer than thirty years for employees participating in medical monitoring, go to Medical records, WAC 296-849-12080.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, and 49.17.060. WSR 18-22-116, § 296-855-20070, filed 11/6/18, effective 12/7/18; WSR 05-17-168, § 296-855-20070, filed 8/23/05, effective 1/1/06.]
296-855-20080
(1) You must keep documentation you develop, of the processing, use, or handling of products made from or containing EtO, that conclusively demonstrates that the action level or STEL for EtO cannot be exceeded under any foreseeable conditions of use.
(2) You must include the following in the documentation record:
(a) The product that is the subject of the documentation;
(b) The source of the data;
(c) Any testing protocol, results of testing, and/or analysis of the product for the release of EtO;
(d) A description of the operation where the product is used and how the data support your conclusion; and
(e) Other data relevant to the operations, materials, processing, or employee exposures covered by your conclusion.
(3) You must maintain the documentation record for as long as you rely on your conclusion that the action level and STEL cannot be exceeded.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, and 49.17.060. WSR 18-22-116, § 296-855-20080, filed 11/6/18, effective 12/7/18; WSR 05-17-168, § 296-855-20080, filed 8/23/05, effective 1/1/06.]
(1) You must train employees who are potentially exposed above the:
(a) Action level (AL) 0.5 parts per million (ppm); or
(2) You must provide training:
(a) At the time of initial assignment; and
(b) Then at least every twelve months.
(3) You must make sure training and information includes all of the following:
(b) The location and availability of this chapter.
(c) The purpose of medical evaluations and a description of your medical evaluation program required in Medical evaluations, WAC 296-855-30030 in this chapter.
(d) Monitoring procedures and observations to detect the presence or release of EtO.
(e) The physical and health hazards of EtO.
(f) Actions employees can take to protect themselves from EtO exposure such as work practices, emergency procedures, and PPE.
(g) The details of your hazard communication program required by another chapter, Hazard communication, chapter 296-901 WAC.
(h) Operations in employee work areas where EtO is present.
(i) The following information found in the General occupational health standards, chapter 296-62 WAC:
(i) The Substance safety data sheet, WAC 296-62-07383 Appendix A.
(ii) The Substance technical guidelines, WAC 296-62-07385 Appendix B.
(iii) Medical surveillance guidelines, WAC 296-62-07387 Appendix C.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, and 49.17.060. WSR 18-22-116, § 296-855-20090, filed 11/6/18, effective 12/7/18. Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, 49.17.060 and 29 C.F.R. 1910 Subpart Z. WSR 14-07-086, § 296-855-20090, filed 3/18/14, effective 5/1/14. Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, and 49.17.060. WSR 05-17-168, § 296-855-20090, filed 8/23/05, effective 1/1/06.]
296-855-300
Exposure and medical monitoring.
These sections apply when employee exposure monitoring results are either above the:
1. Action level (AL) of 0.5 parts per million (ppm); or
2. Short-term exposure limit (STEL) of five ppm.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, and 49.17.060. WSR 18-22-116, § 296-855-300, filed 11/6/18, effective 12/7/18; WSR 05-17-168, § 296-855-300, filed 8/23/05, effective 1/1/06.]
296-855-30010
Periodic exposure monitoring.
Periodic employee exposure monitoring is not required if exposure monitoring results conducted to fulfill requirements in Exposure evaluation, WAC 296-855-20050, are below the action level (AL).
You must obtain employee exposure monitoring results according to the frequency specified in Table 2, Periodic Exposure Evaluation Frequencies.
• If you documented that one work shift consistently has higher exposure monitoring results than another for a particular operation, then you may limit sample collection to the work shift with higher exposures and use those results to represent all employees performing the operation on other shifts.
Conduct additional exposure monitoring at least every 6 months.
Are above the TWA8;
Conduct additional exposure monitoring at least every 3 months.
Have been obtained at least every 3 months;
You may decrease your evaluation frequency for the TWA8 to every 6 months.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, and 49.17.060. WSR 18-22-116, § 296-855-30010, filed 11/6/18, effective 12/7/18; WSR 05-17-168, § 296-855-30010, filed 8/23/05, effective 1/1/06.]
296-855-30030
296-855-30080
(1) You must establish and maintain complete and accurate medical records for each employee receiving a medical evaluation for EtO and make sure the records include all the following:
(a) The employee's name and unique identifier.
(b) Any employee medical complaints related to EtO.
(c) A description of the employee's duties.
(d) A copy of the licensed health care professional's (LHCP's) written opinions.
(e) The anticipated or representative employee exposure monitoring results provided to the LHCP for the employee.
(f) A copy of the information required in Step two of the medical evaluation process, found in WAC 296-855-30030, except the copy of this chapter and the appendices.
(2) You must maintain medical records for the duration of employment plus thirty years.
• Your medical provider may keep these records for you. Other medical records, such as the employee's medical history or X rays, need to be kept as confidential records by the medical provider.
For additional requirements that apply to employee exposure records including access and transfer requirements, go to, Employee medical and exposure records, chapter 296-802 WAC.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, and 49.17.060. WSR 18-22-116, § 296-855-30080, filed 11/6/18, effective 12/7/18; WSR 05-17-168, § 296-855-30080, filed 8/23/05, effective 1/1/06.]
296-855-400
These sections apply when employee exposure monitoring results are above either of the following permissible exposure limits (PELs):
1. The eight-hour time-weighted average (TWA8) of one part per million (ppm); or
2. The fifteen-minute short-term exposure limit (STEL) of five ppm.
WAC 296-855-40010
[Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, and 49.17.060. WSR 18-22-116, § 296-855-400, filed 11/6/18, effective 12/7/18; WSR 05-17-168, § 296-855-400, filed 8/23/05, effective 1/1/06.]
296-855-40010
(1) You must establish and implement a written exposure control plan to reduce employee exposure to EtO below both TWA8 and the STEL by the use of feasible exposure controls. Include at least the following in your plan:
(a) A schedule for periodic leak detection surveys.
(b) Make sure employee rotation is not included as a method to control employee exposure.
(2) You must establish a written plan for emergency situations for each work area where there is a possibility of an emergency from a release of EtO. The plan must include, at a minimum:
(a) Emergency escape:
(ii) Route assignments.
(b) Emergency evacuation plans and procedures to account for all employees after emergency evacuation has been completed.
(c) Procedures to be followed by employees who remain to operate critical plant operations before they evacuate.
(d) Requirements for the use of respiratory protection as required in WAC 296-855-40040.
(e) Rescue and medical duties for those employees who will perform them.
(f) The preferred means of reporting fires and other emergencies.
(g) Names or regular job titles of persons or departments who can be contacted for further information or explanation of duties under the plan.
(3) You must establish an employee alarm system that meets the requirements of Employee alarm systems, WAC 296-800-31070 in the safety and health core rules.
The employee alarm system must be distinctive and recognizable as a signal to perform actions designated under the emergency response plan.
(4) You must review your exposure control plan at least every twelve months and update as needed to reflect your current workplace conditions.
(5) You must provide a copy of your exposure control plan to affected employees and their designated representatives, when they ask to review or copy it.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, and 49.17.060. WSR 18-22-116, § 296-855-40010, filed 11/6/18, effective 12/7/18; WSR 05-17-168, § 296-855-40010, filed 8/23/05, effective 1/1/06.]
296-855-40030
(1) You must use feasible exposure controls to reduce exposure to, or below, the permissible exposure limit (PELs); or
(2) You must reduce exposure to the lowest achievable level above the PELs.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, and 49.17.060. WSR 18-22-116, § 296-855-40030, filed 11/6/18, effective 12/7/18; WSR 07-06-005, § 296-855-40030, filed 2/22/07, effective 4/1/07; WSR 05-17-168, § 296-855-40030, filed 8/23/05, effective 1/1/06.]
296-855-40040
296-855-420
(1) Chemical manufacturers, importers, distributors and employers must comply with all requirements of the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS), chapter 296-901 WAC for EtO.
(2) In classifying the hazards of EtO at least the following hazards are to be addressed: Cancer; reproductive effects; mutagenicity; central nervous system; skin sensitization; skin, eye and respiratory tract irritation; acute toxicity effects; and flammability.
(3) You must include EtO in the hazard communication program established to comply with the HCS, chapter 296-901 WAC. Employers must ensure that each employee has access to labels on containers of EtO and to safety data sheets, and is trained in accordance with the requirements of HCS and WAC 296-855-20090.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, and 49.17.060. WSR 18-22-116, § 296-855-420, filed 11/6/18, effective 12/7/18. Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, 49.17.060 and 29 C.F.R. 1910 Subpart Z. WSR 14-07-086, § 296-855-420, filed 3/18/14, effective 5/1/14.]