Flagger Safety Rules Change

In response to Legislative directive, Labor and Industries is adopting emergency rules aimedat improving the safety of highway flaggers. Earlier this year, the Legislature passed, and Governor Gary Locke signed, the “Kim Vendl” bill, named for the 45-year-old Marysville woman who was struck from behind and killed while flagging a construction project in Mill Creek last October. The bill specified that L&I enact the new requirements by June 1, 2000. To accommodate that deadline, the agency is adopting temporary rules under emergency authority that took effect June 1, and will follow up with proposed permanent rules later this year. The permanent rules must take effect no later than March 1, 2001.