The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) is a department of the

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

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.

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. The new agency superseded the Bureau of Labor, created in 1901 to inspect workplaces, and minor state boards and commissions monitoring worker health, safety, and insurance claims. In 1973, the state legislature passed the Washington Industrial Safety and Health Act, which superseded the federal

Occupational Safety and Health Act The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 is a US labor law governing the federal law of occupational health and safety in the private sector and federal government in the United States. It was enacted by Congress in 1970 and was signed by P ...

(OSHA) and allowed L&I greater powers to investigate employers and enforce state and federal labor laws. Washington became one of the first states to implement their own labor laws, which received full approval from OSHA in 1976.

Structure

L&I has a budget of $2.7 billion for the term of 2015–2025 and has employed 2,891 people. The department is divided into several divisions, including the Divisions of Occupational Safety and Health, Workers' Compensation, Field and Public Safety, and Fraud Prevention and Labor Standards. The department's director is appointed by the

state governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

and serves in the executive cabinet.

Offices

In addition to its headquarters in

Tumwater Tumwater is a town in Thurston County, Washington, United States. The population was 25,350 at the 2020 census. It is situated near where the Deschutes River enters Budd Inlet, the southernmost point of Puget Sound; it also borders the state ca ...

, L&I has offices in 19 cities across the state.

References

External links

*
Chapter 43.22
of the ''

Revised Code of Washington The Revised Code of Washington (RCW) is the compilation of all permanent laws currently in force in the U.S. state of Washington. Temporary laws such as appropriations acts are excluded. It is published by the Washington State Statute Law Committ ...

'' {{authority control Labor relations in Washington (state) Labor and Industries State departments of labor of the United States 1921 establishments in Washington (state) Government agencies established in 1921