Dear friends & neighbors,
We are almost halfway through our short, 60-day session. A large part of my focus this session involves helping Washington students build the future of their choice. However, one of my bills that has already advanced through the Labor and Workplace Standards Committee, came about because a student and constituent – Sarah Pantip Wong – had her future tragically taken away.
In April of 2019, four lives were lost after a construction crane collapsed during disassembly in South Lake Union, just on the edge of the 36th district. They included the two ironworkers who were working on the crane and two people on the street below – Alan Justad, a retired public servant; and Sarah Pantip Wong, a student at Seattle Pacific University. Their deaths were entirely preventable, they should be with us today.
In the almost five years since this happened the state Department of Labor and Industries has been working hard to implement new safety rules to prevent future events like this. We are now at the stage where we’ve gone as far as we can with rulemaking, and we have to complete the final pieces of this work through legislation.
Working closely with my seatmate Sen. Noel Frame, Sarah’s parents Andrea Wang and Henry Wong, the Department of Labor and Industries, labor unions, and other stakeholders, we crafted legislation aimed at preventing similar tragedies.
HB 2022 focuses on three key areas…
- Designating a safety zone during the critical phases of assembly, disassembly, and reconfiguration. This space safeguards the public and workers in the vicinity during this process.
- Establishing a permit process for tower crane operations which ensures that companies meet strict safety criteria.
- Defining criminal penalties for companies found in violation of safety regulations. This increases the level of accountability for bad actors, ensuring that if they do not follow the law they will face more than a simple fine.
In dense urban areas like our district addressing safety concerns around this equipment remains imperative. I want you to know when you’re walking by a construction site that the state has done everything it possibly can to keep you and the workers on that site safe. I’m proud to join my colleague Sen. Frame in working to ensure we never experience a preventable tragedy like this again.
____
As always, it’s a pleasure to serve you in Olympia and My door is always open, or you can reach me by phone at (360) 786-7814 or by email. I also encourage you to follow me on Facebook for all the latest updates!
In service,
State Representative Julia Reed
36th Legislative District