OLYMPIA—Five years after college student Sarah Pantip Wong, retired public servant Alan Justad, and two ironworkers, Andrew Yoder and Travis Corbet, lost their lives when a construction crane collapsed, the laws are finally being updated. Rep. Julia Reed’s HB 2022 makes necessary changes to safety regulations regarding the assembly, disassembly, and reconfiguration of a tower crane.
“These were four avoidable tragedies, four lives that should be with us today,” said Reed. “Legislation like this is necessary to prevent events like this from ever happening again.”
Rep. Reed worked closely with seatmate Sen. Noel Frame, Sarah’s parents Andrea Wang and Henry Wong, the Department of Labor and Industries, labor unions, and other stakeholders, to craft the legislation. The legislation fine tunes the current permitting process, designates safety zones when cranes are being assembled and disassembled, and defines criminal penalties when these regulations are violated.
“This legislation is even more important for dense urban areas like the 36th,” said Reed. “I want people to feel safe walking by construction sites. I want people to know the state has done everything it can to protect workers and the public.”
“The passage of SHB 2022 in the House is a significant step toward safeguarding the public,” said Andrea Wang, mother of Sarah Pantip Wong. “My family and I want to thank Rep. Reed for her hard work and we urge the Senate to work with Sen. Frame to enact much-needed, common sense tower crane safety measures.”
HB 2022 passed with a vote of 77 to 20. It now moves to the Senate for consideration.