Washington State Department of Labor and Industries

Last updated
Washington State Department of Labor and Industries
Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (logo).svg
Agency overview
Formed1921 (1921)
Jurisdiction State of Washington
Headquarters7273 Linderson Way SW, Tumwater, Washington
Employees3,311 (2024) [1]
Annual budget$2.7 billion (2015–25)
Agency executive
  • Joel Sacks, Director
Website lni.wa.gov

The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) is a department of the Washington state government that regulates and enforces labor standards. The agency administers the state's workers' compensation system, conducts workplace inspections, licenses and certifies trade workers, and issues permits for heavy machinery. [2]

Contents

History

The Department of Labor and Industries was created by an act of the state legislature in 1921, overseeing industrial insurance, worker safety, and industrial relations. [3] [4] The new agency superseded the Bureau of Labor, created in 1901 to inspect workplaces, and minor state boards and commissions monitoring worker health, safety, and insurance claims. [5]

In 1973, the state legislature passed the Washington Industrial Safety and Health Act (WISHA), which superseded the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) and allowed L&I greater powers to investigate employers and enforce state and federal labor laws. [5] [6] Washington became one of the first states to implement their own labor laws, which received full approval from OSHA in 1976. [5]

In 2006, the WISHA Services Division was renamed the Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH). [7] Through WISHA, DOSH has the authority to set and enforce worker healthy and safety requirements. DOSH enforces standards through both consultation and compliance inspections. [8] [9] In compliance inspections while representing the worker, DOSH will inspect for situations of imminent danger, fatality, catastrophe, serious injuries leading to hospitalization, and complaints and referrals. They also conduct scheduled and follow-up compliance inspections. [7] DOSH is now the entity that is considered the state plan, complying with existing federal standards until they adopt their own comparable standards for the state alone.

Leadership History

Executive Directors of Washington State L&I [10]
TermName
1995-2002Gary Moore
2003-2004Paul Trause
2005-2006Gary Weeks
2007-2012Judy Schurke
2013-presentJoel Sacks

Structure

L&I has a budget of $2.7 billion for the term of 2015–2025. [11] As of December 2024, L&I had 3,311 full-time employees. [1] The department is divided into several divisions, including DOSH, Workers' Compensation, Field and Public Safety, and Fraud Prevention and Labor Standards. [12] The department's director is appointed by the state governor and serves in the executive cabinet. [13]

Offices

In addition to its headquarters in Tumwater, L&I has offices in 18 other cities across the state. [14]

References

  1. 1 2 "L&I Facts and Figures" (PDF). Washington State Department of Labor & Industries. 2024-12-12. Retrieved 2025-06-22.
  2. ↑ "About Labor and Industries (L&I)". Washington State Department of Labor & Industries. Retrieved 2025-06-22.
  3. ↑ "Chapter 7: Administrative Code" (PDF). Session Laws of the State of Washington, 1921. Washington State Legislature. February 9, 1921. pp. 40–41. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
  4. ↑ "To Insure Officers; Bill Introduced for Sheriffs' Compensation". The Seattle Times . January 12, 1921. p. 2.
  5. 1 2 3 Paja, Alan S. (1994). "The Washington Industrial Safety and Health Act: WISHA's Twentieth Anniversary, 1973-1993". Seattle University Law Review. 17 (2). Seattle University: 259–281. ISSN   1078-1927. OCLC   818988711 . Retrieved November 27, 2017.
  6. ↑ Burchard, Boyd (July 5, 1973). "OSHA there, WISHA here". The Seattle Times. p. F2.
  7. 1 2 "What is DOSH? Common Safety and Health Hazards for Breweries" (PDF). www.washingtonbrewersguild.org.
  8. ↑ Industries, Washington State Department of Labor &. "DOSH Manuals". Washington State Department of Labor & Industries. Retrieved 2025-12-01.
  9. ↑ "Dosh compliance manual" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-01-05.
  10. ↑ "Washington Director of Labor and Industries". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2025-12-01.
  11. ↑ "Department of Labor and Industries, Recommendation Summary" (PDF). 2017-25 Budget Decision Package. Washington State Office of Financial Management.
  12. ↑ "Overview of the Department of Labor and Industries" (PDF). Washington State Society for Human Resource Management. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-12-01.
  13. ↑ "Governor Gregoire Announces Appointment of Director of Labor and Industries" (Press release). Office of the Governor of Washington. March 5, 2007 – via Washington State Archives.
  14. ↑ "Contact". Washington State Department of Labor & Industries. Retrieved 2025-06-22.
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