OLYMPIA, Wash. – The Washington Department of Labor & Industries announced Tuesday that it is forming new rules to protect airline workers who handle baggage and heavy objects.
The official pre-proposal statement filed with the Washington Office of the Code Reviser would establish new rules protecting airline workers at higher risk of sprains and strains.
“If you’ve flown on an airplane, chances are you’ve looked out the window to see baggage handlers lifting, bending, and reaching to load and unload heavy luggage….Injuries that come from that kind of repetitive movement…are among the most common workplace injuries in Washington,” an announcement from the department asserted.
Labor & Industries was given additional regulatory power to cover musculoskeletal injuries under a 2023 state law sponsored by a cohort of Democratic senators. The proposed airline ground crew regulations are the first rules proposed by L&I under the expanded power granted by the Legislature.
According to L&I, an advisory committee comprising corporate and labor interests will be invited to offer input on proposed regulations to ensure the safety of airport ground crews before they are implemented. No rules will become official state code until at least July 2026.
Additional industries were earmarked by L&I as “high-priority” for new regulations in Nov. 2023 including warehouse and grocery work, ambulance services, and long-distance trucking.
The pre-proposal filing coincides with a and the increased visibility of organized labor in the 2024 election cycle including and