||| FROM CORY HARRINGTON |||
The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) issued multiple workplace safety citations to Eastsound Water Users Association in 2025 following two inspections. The violations cited primarily relate to fall protection, hazard assessment, safety training, and hazardous energy control (lockout/tagout) — all core elements of workplace safety programs.
According to the L&I records, cited violations include requirements that employers:
- Provide and enforce fall protection when employees work at heights or near fall hazards, including on ladders, elevated surfaces, and platforms;
- Maintain a written fall protection work plan and provide documented fall protection training to employees;
- Conduct and document hazard assessments and ensure appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) is used;
- Follow ladder safety standards for proper setup, use, and securing of ladders;
- Implement and enforce lockout/tagout procedures to prevent accidental startup of equipment during maintenance or servicing;
- Hold and document regular employee safety meetings;
- Maintain safe work areas through basic housekeeping and hazard control; and
- Ensure trained first-aid personnel are available when employees are working.
Several of the violations were classified by L&I as “serious,” meaning the conditions identified could reasonably be expected to cause serious injury or illness if not corrected. L&I assigned abatement deadlines for these items, with some listed as corrected and others requiring further action.
These citations and penalties are part of the public record and reflect L&I’s enforcement of Washington workplace safety standards. Public utilities, like all employers, are required to meet these standards to protect the health and safety of their workers.
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Any idea what the costs of the remedies were or will be? Dan Burke went through some of them at the Tuesday Board meeting, but I could not hear very well and the numbers escaped me. Those costs should be added to the $14,688 in penalties, perhaps spread over 2025 and 2026, to get the total cost.
The recent L&I findings brought long‑standing safety issues into the open — issues that have been part of the system for decades. None of this reflects a lack of dedication from our certified water operators. They have shown up day after day, often at all hours, in weather the rest of us go out of our way to avoid, just to keep our water flowing and our community safe. They’ve carried the weight of these conditions quietly, doing the best they could with the tools and systems they had. They deserve to feel valued, not attacked. As a community, we owe them our appreciation, our understanding, and our commitment to building a safer, stronger environment for them in the future. This is our moment to stand with them, to listen to them, and to make sure they have the support and protection they’ve always given us.