Washington Accident Prevention Program (APP) Requirements

What an Accident Prevention Program Is

Every employer in Washington State is required to establish a formal, written Accident Prevention Program, commonly called an APP. The APP is the cornerstone of an organization’s overall safety and health program and must be tailored to the needs of the particular workplace or operation and the types of hazards involved.

Washington Administrative Code WAC 296-800-140 requires employers to establish, supervise, implement, and enforce an Accident Prevention Program that is effective in practice. The APP should serve as the controlling document for the employer’s safety and health system by establishing basic requirements, assigning responsibilities, providing employee training, and explaining how workplace hazards will be identified and controlled.

A generic document is not sufficient. The program must reflect the employer’s actual operations, employees, work locations, equipment, and workplace hazards.

Who Enforces Washington’s Requirements

Washington operates its own federally approved workplace-safety and health program through the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, Division of Occupational Safety and Health. Washington’s governing workplace-safety law is commonly known as WISHA—the Washington Industrial Safety and Health Act.

Washington’s safety and health standards may be more prescriptive than federal OSHA requirements. Employers operating in Washington must comply with applicable Washington requirements even if the employer’s principal office is located in another state.

What an APP Must Cover

The APP must address the hazards found in the employer’s workplace and operations. At a minimum, the required employee safety orientation must address:

• A description of the employer’s total safety and health program

• On-the-job orientation explaining what employees need to know to perform their initial assignments safely

• How and when employees must report workplace injuries, including the location of first-aid facilities

• How employees must report unsafe conditions and practices

• The proper use and care of required personal protective equipment

• What employees must do during an emergency, including how to exit the workplace

• Identification of hazardous gases, chemicals, or materials used on the job, including safe-use instructions and the actions employees must take following an accidental exposure

The employer must also develop, supervise, implement, and enforce safety and health training programs that are effective in practice. The overall program should include procedures for identifying and correcting hazards, communicating safety responsibilities, responding to incidents and emergencies, and documenting required safety activities.

Safety Meetings and Safety Committees

Washington employers must establish a method for communicating and evaluating workplace safety and health issues.

Under Washington’s general-industry requirements, an employer with 11 or more employees working on the same shift at the same location generally must establish a safety committee. The committee must follow applicable membership, meeting, documentation, and recordkeeping requirements.

An employer with 10 or fewer employees may choose to conduct employee safety meetings instead of establishing a safety committee. An employer with 11 or more employees may also use safety meetings when employees work on different shifts or at widely separated locations and no more than 10 employees work on any one shift or at any one location.

Where safety meetings are used, all employees must be provided an opportunity to participate, a management representative must be present, and safety and health issues must be discussed and addressed.

Construction work is subject to separate requirements. Crew leader–crew safety meetings generally must be held at the beginning of each construction job and at least weekly thereafter.

Additional Workplace and Industry Requirements

An Accident Prevention Program is the foundation of an employer’s safety system, but it may not be the only written safety program required. Additional policies, plans, procedures, training, and documentation may be necessary depending on the employer’s industry, operations, equipment, work locations, and hazards.

Additional requirements may apply to matters such as:

• Outdoor heat exposure

• Wildfire smoke

• Personal protective equipment

• Hazard communication and chemical exposure

• Respiratory protection

• Emergency response and evacuation

• First aid

• Fall protection

• Traffic control and roadway work

• Vehicles and mobile equipment

• Incident reporting and investigation

• Injury and illness recordkeeping

• Construction activities

• Logging, agriculture, firefighting, and other regulated industries

Each employer must evaluate its actual workplace and operations to determine which additional Washington safety requirements apply. Applicable programs and procedures should be incorporated into or coordinated with the employer’s overall Accident Prevention Program.

Implementation and Inspection Readiness

The requirement is not satisfied merely by possessing a written document. Employers must supervise, implement, and enforce their Accident Prevention Programs so that the programs are effective in actual workplace operations.

Employees should receive the required orientation and training, understand their responsibilities, know how to report injuries and unsafe conditions, and follow established safety procedures. Employers should maintain applicable training records, safety-meeting or committee records, inspection documents, incident records, and other required safety documentation.

A missing, generic, outdated, or unimplemented APP creates a significant compliance risk. Employers should be prepared to provide their written program and supporting implementation records if requested during a Washington L&I inspection.

How Idaho Building and Consulting Can Help

Idaho Building and Consulting develops practical, workplace-specific Accident Prevention Programs and supporting safety systems for organizations operating in Washington.

Services may include reviewing workplace operations and hazards, developing customized written policies and procedures, preparing required forms and records, establishing safety-meeting or safety-committee systems, developing employee training materials, supporting program implementation, and conducting periodic reviews to help keep the safety program current and effective.