Washington's State Plan is run by the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I), Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH). Every employer needs a written accident prevention program with a safety orientation, a safety committee or monthly safety meetings, and outdoor heat and wildfire smoke training where those exposures happen. Here is what the WAC says.
Who DOSH covers
According to OSHA's State Plan page, Washington's plan covers private-sector workplaces and state and local government workers; federal workers, including the Postal Service, stay with federal OSHA.
The accident prevention program (APP)
Under WAC 296-800-14005, you need a formal accident prevention program, outlined in writing and tailored to your workplace. It includes a safety orientation that covers:
- a description of the program and on-the-job training;
- how and when to report injuries, including where first aid is;
- how to report unsafe conditions and practices;
- the use and care of required PPE;
- what to do in an emergency, including exit routes;
- hazardous substances in the workplace.
WAC 296-800-14020 adds on-the-job instruction before the job assignment, for example on forklifts, machine tools and toxic materials.
Safety committee or safety meetings
With 11 or more employees on the same shift at the same location, you set up a safety committee (WAC 296-800-13020): employee-elected members equal or outnumber employer-selected ones, terms are at most one year, and minutes are kept one year. With 10 or fewer, you may hold safety meetings instead, monthly, recording attendance and topics (WAC 296-800-13025). See our safety committee meeting guide.
Outdoor heat and wildfire smoke
- Outdoor heat (WAC 296-62-095, updated in 2023): the rules apply from 80°F, or 52°F with nonbreathable clothing, with high-heat procedures at 90°F. Employees and supervisors are trained before outdoor work with heat exposure and at least annually after that, and the heat program goes into your written APP.
- Wildfire smoke (chapter 296-820): training before work with PM2.5 at 20.5 µg/m³ (AQI 72) or more, and at least annually after that; the smoke response plan is part of the APP.
Where a quiz fits
The orientation topics above make a natural new-hire quiz, and the yearly heat and smoke training can end with one too. Federal standards still apply on top, such as hazard communication training (29 CFR 1910.1200(h)).
A short quiz on your APP or on heat, played live from phones at the end of a session, shows what people actually understood, not only who signed the sheet. When you need evidence, run the same quiz in Test mode (Trainer plan): each worker answers under their own name, you set the pass mark, and you download a PDF learning assessment record with the date, the topic, the trainer, each person's answers and result, and a signature column. It sits next to the training records the state asks for; it does not replace the training, and Quizhat never certifies anyone. Quizhat is an independent tool, not affiliated with or endorsed by OSHA.
State rules change: read the current text on the state's site, or ask the state agency, before you rely on this summary. L&I offers free, confidential consultation.