Washington Administrative Code › Title 296 - Labor and Industries, Department of › Chapter 296-155 - Safety standards for construction work › Part A - GENERAL SAFETY AND HEALTH PROVISIONS › Section 296-155-012 - Definitions applicable to all sections of this chapter

Current through Register Vol. 24-14, July 15, 2024
Note: Unless the context indicates otherwise, words used in
				  this chapter must have the meaning given in this section. Certain parts of this
				  chapter contain definitions as they apply to that particular part.
Approved
.
Approved by the director
				  of the department of labor and industries or authorized representative:
				  Provided, however, That should a provision of this chapter state that approval
				  by an agency or organization other than the department of labor and industries
				  is required, such as Underwriters' Laboratories or the bureau of mines, the
				  provisions of WAC
				  296-155-006 must apply.
Assistant director
.
The individual
				  in charge of the division of consultation and compliance, department of labor
				  and industries, or an authorized representative.
Authorized person
.
A person
				  approved or assigned by the employer to perform a specific type of duty or
				  duties or be at a specific location or locations at the workplace.
Competent person
.
One who is
				  capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings or
				  working conditions which are unsanitary, hazardous, or dangerous to employees,
				  and who has authorization to take prompt corrective action to eliminate
				  them.
Confined space
.
A space
				  that:
(1) Is large enough and so configured that an employee can
				  bodily enter and perform assigned work; and
(2) Has limited or restricted means for entry or exit (for
				  example, tanks, vessels, silos, storage bins, hoppers, vaults, and pits are
				  spaces that may have limited means of entry); and
(3) Is not designed for continuous employee occupancy.
Construction work
.
All or any part
				  of excavation, construction, erection, alteration, repair, demolition, and
				  dismantling, of buildings and other structures and all operations in connection
				  therewith; the excavation, construction, alteration and repair of sewers,
				  trenches, caissons, conduits, pipe lines, roads and all operations pertaining
				  thereto; the moving of buildings and other structures, and to the construction,
				  alteration, repair, or removal of wharfs, docks, bridges, culverts, trestles,
				  piers, abutments or any other construction, alteration, repair or removal work
				  related thereto.
Defect
. Any characteristic or condition which
				  tends to weaken or reduce the strength of the tool, object, or structure of
				  which it is a part.
Department
. The department of labor and
				  industries.
Designated person
. "Authorized person" as
				  defined in this section.
Director
. The director of the department of
				  labor and industries, or his/her designated representative.
Division
. The division of consultation and
				  compliance of the department.
Employer
. Any person, firm, corporation,
				  partnership, business trust, legal representative, or other business entity
				  which engages in any business, industry, profession, or activity in this state
				  and employs one or more employees or who contracts with one or more persons,
				  the essence of which is the personal labor of such person or persons and
				  includes the state, counties, cities, and all municipal corporations, public
				  corporations, political subdivisions of the state, and charitable
				  organizations: Provided, that any person, partnership, or business entity not
				  having employees, and who is covered by the industrial insurance act must be
				  considered both an employer and an employee.
Equipment
. All machinery, devices, tools,
				  facilities, safeguards, and protective construction used in connection with
				  construction operations.
Ground fault circuit interrupter
. A fast acting
				  circuit breaker that is sensitive to very low levels of current leakage to
				  ground. The device is designed to limit the electric shock to a current and
				  time duration below that which can cause serious injury.
Hazard
. A condition, potential or inherent,
				  which is likely to cause injury, death, or occupational disease.
Hazardous substance
. A substance which, by
				  reason of being explosive, flammable, poisonous, corrosive, oxidizing,
				  irritating, or otherwise harmful, is likely to cause death or injury.
Maintenance
. The work of keeping a building,
				  machine, roadway, etc., in a state of good repair.
Must
. The provision(s) of the standard are
				  mandatory.
Part
. A major division, of this chapter,
				  relating to a specific topic or topics and containing various sections,
				  subsections, etc.
Permit-required confined space (permit space)
. A
				  confined space that has one or more of the following characteristics:
(1) Contains or has a potential to contain a hazardous
				  atmosphere;
(2) Contains a material that has the potential for engulfing
				  an entrant;
(3) Has an internal configuration such that an entrant could
				  be trapped or asphyxiated by inwardly converging walls or by a floor which
				  slopes downward and tapers to a smaller cross-section; or
(4) Contains any other recognized serious safety or health
				  hazard.
Qualified
. One who, by possession of a
				  recognized degree, certificate, or professional standing, or who by extensive
				  knowledge, training, and experience, has successfully demonstrated their
				  ability to solve or resolve problems relating to the subject matter, the work,
				  or the project.
Repair
. To restore a building, machine, roadway,
				  etc., to an original state after damage or decay.
Safety factor
. The ratio of the ultimate
				  breaking strength of a member or piece of material or equipment to the actual
				  working stress or safe load when in use.
Safety and health standard
. A standard which
				  requires the adoption or use of one or more practices, means, methods,
				  operations, or processes reasonably necessary or appropriate to provide safe or
				  healthful employment and places of employment.
Substantial
. Constructed of such strength, of
				  such material, and of such workmanship, that the object referred to will
				  withstand all normal wear, shock and usage.
Standard safeguard
. A device designed and
				  constructed with the object of removing the hazard of accident incidental to
				  the machine, appliance, tool, building, or equipment to which it is
				  attached.
Standard safeguards must be constructed of either metal or
				  wood or other suitable material or a combination of these. The final
				  determination of the sufficiency of any safeguard rests with the director of
				  the department of labor and industries through the division of consultation and
				  compliance.
Suitable
. That which fits, or has the qualities
				  or qualifications to meet a given purpose, occasion, condition, function, or
				  circumstance.
Working day
. A calendar day, except Saturdays,
				  Sundays, and legal holidays as set forth in
				  RCW
				  1.16.050, as now or hereafter amended, and
				  for the purposes of the computation of time within which an act is to be done
				  under the provisions of this chapter, must be computed by excluding the first
				  working day and including the last working day.
Worker, personnel, man, person, employee,
and
				  other terms of like meaning, unless the context of the provision containing
				  such term indicates otherwise. An employee of an employer who is employed in
				  the business of their employer whether by way of manual labor or otherwise and
				  every person in this state who is engaged in the employment of or who is
				  working under an independent contract the essence of which is their personal
				  labor for an employer whether by manual labor or otherwise.
Work place
. Any plant, yard, premises, room, or
				  other place where an employee or employees are employed for the performance of
				  labor or service over which the employer has the right of access or control,
				  and includes, but is not limited to, all work places covered by industrial
				  insurance under
				  Title
				  51 RCW, as now or hereafter
				  amended.
Abbreviations used in this chapter:
ANSI.
American National Standards
				  Institute.
API.
American Petroleum Institute.
ASA.
American Standards Association.
ASAE.
American Society of Agricultural
				  Engineers.
ASHRE.
American Society of Heating and
				  Refrigeration Engineers.
ASME.
American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
ASTM.
American Society of Testing and
				  Materials.
AWS.
American Welding Society.
BTU.
British thermal unit.
BTUH.
British thermal unit per hour.
CFM.
Cubic feet per minute.
C.F.R.
Code of Federal Register.
CGA.
Compressed Gas Association.
CIE.
Commission Internationale de l'
				  Eclairage.
DOT.
Department of transportation.
DOSH.
Division of Occupational Safety and
				  Health.
FRP.
Fiberglass reinforced plastic.
GPM.
Gallons per minute.
ICC.
Interstate Commerce Commission.
ID.
Inside diameter.
LPG.
Liquefied petroleum gas.
MCA.
Manufacturing Chemist Association.
MSHA.
United States Department of Labor, Mine
				  Safety and Health Administration.
NBFU.
National Board of Fire
				  Underwriters.
NEMA.
National Electrical Manufacturing
				  Association.
NFPA.
National Fire Protection
				  Association.
NTP.
Normal temperature and pressure.
OD.
Outside diameter.
PSI.
Pounds per square inch.
PSIA.
Pounds per square inch absolute.
PSIG.
Pounds per square inch gauge.
RMA.
Rubber Manufacturers Association.
SAE.
Society of Automotive Engineers.
TFI.
The Fertilizer Institute.
TSC.
Trailer Standard Code.
UL.
Underwriters' Laboratories, Inc.
USASI.
United States of America Standards
				  Institute.
USCG.
United States Coast Guard.
WAC.
Washington Administrative Code.
WISHA.
Washington Industrial Safety and Health
				  Act of 1973.
Statutory Authority: Chapter 49.17 RCW. 95-04-007, §
					 296-155-012, filed 1/18/95, effective 3/1/95. Statutory Authority:
					 RCW
					 49.17.040 and
					 49.17.050. 86-03-074 (Order
					 86-14), § 296-155-012, filed 1/21/86; Order 74-26, § 296-155-012,
					 filed 5/7/74, effective 6/6/74.