Penington Painting Company, Llc, App V. Department Of Labor And Industries, Res

Court of Appeals of Washington·Decided March 21, 2023·No. 57003-3·Unpublished

Opinion

Filed

Washington State

Court of Appeals

Division Two

March 21, 2023

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON

DIVISION II

PENINGTON PAINTING COMPANY, LLC, No. 57003-3-II

Appellant,

v.

WASHINGTON STATE DEPARTMENT OF UNPUBLISHED OPINION LABOR AND INDUSTRIES,

Respondent.

VELJACIC, J. — Penington Painting Company appeals a decision of the Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals (Board) affirming two Department of Labor & Industries (Department) citations for serious violations of fall protection regulations. Because substantial evidence supports the Board’s findings, we affirm.

FACTS

I. The INCIDENT LEADING TO PENINGTON’S FALL PROTECTION CITATIONS On August 2, 2019, two Penington workers, Juan Galindo and Damian Collins, were painting the exterior of a multi-story building in the Tacoma Mall parking lot. The first floor of the building has a larger footprint than the floors above it, so the roof of the first floor acts like a platform wrapping around the perimeter of the building. The Penington workers used a swing stage located on the first floor roof for this painting project. To access the swing stage, Penington planned to use a boom lift to hoist its workers up to the first floor roof.

On August 2, Galindo and Collins were the only workers, of six, to report to the jobsite, but neither of them had the key to operate the boom lift as planned. Galindo called his supervisor, Jim Justice, to ask if he had the key. Justice stated that he did and instructed Galindo to use the ladder at the jobsite until he arrived with the boom lift key. Galindo and Collins climbed the ladder, stepped onto the first floor roof, tied off a rope to their safety harnesses, and walked to the swing stage to conduct the day’s work. They had all of the necessary fall protection equipment at the jobsite, including personal protection equipment (PPE), safety harnesses, lanyards, helmets, goggles, gloves, rope, and cable.

About two or three hours later, Galindo and Collins decided to take a break and brought the swing stage back down to the first floor roof. However, they discovered that the ladder was not where they had left it. Galindo then disconnected his fall protection equipment and walked around the corner of the building to find the ladder.

While walking on the opposite side of the building from the swing stage, Galindo saw James Heishman, the bureau chief of patrol for the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department, leaving the building and asked for his assistance. Below are pictures depicting Galindo and Collins standing near the edge of the roof and the approximate location where they were observed:

Clerk’s Papers (CP) at 576, 578. Heishman observed that Galindo and Collins were standing “[j]ust towards the edge of the building, so when [he] looked up they were right above [him].” CP at 349. In fact, Heishman stated that he could see the workers’ upper torsos and believed that they were closer than 10 feet to the edge. Heishman found the ladder laying neatly on the sidewalk, placed it against the building, and left the scene.

At the same time, Gregg Garcia and Brian Walsh, both Compliance Safety and Health Officers (CSHOs) for the Department, were in the Tacoma Mall parking lot dropping off a vehicle at the Goodyear Tire Center. The Goodyear Tire Center was approximately 300 yards from the building where Galindo and Collins were painting. As the CSHOs were driving through the parking lot, they observed Galindo and Collins standing on the first floor roof without employing fall protection equipment. The CSHOs took pictures of Galindo and Collins that showed them standing close to the edge without employing any type of fall protection. Because the CSHOs observed an “immediate danger hazard,” they stopped and opened a safety inspection. CP at 356.

Garcia spoke with Galindo and asked if he had the authority to provide consent to a safety inspection. Galindo indicated that he did not and he called Justice on his cell phone. Garcia then spoke with Justice on Galindo’s cell phone and Justice indicated that he was at a different jobsite, but would arrive shortly thereafter for the safety inspection. Justice arrived to the jobsite about 25 minutes later.

During the safety inspection, the CSHOs measured the first floor roof near where Galindo and Collins were seen standing to be 14 feet 6 inches above the ground. Garcia stated that, had the workers fallen from this height, they could have suffered serious bodily injury or death.

Garcia also asked for the fall protection work plan. Justice produced the fall protection work plan after he arrived, which was located in the work shed at the jobsite. Garcia stated that the fall protection work plan was incomplete because it did not “identify any specific fall protection PPE that would be used for worker protection whether they were on the swing stage or whether they were on a walking-working surface.” CP at 397.

II. PROCEDURAL HISTORY On August 27, the Department cited Penington for a serious violation of former WAC 296-

155-24609(1) (2016), repealed by Wash. St. Reg. 20-12-091 (effective October 1, 2020),1 based on the workers’ failure to use fall protection equipment when standing near the leading edge of a walking-working surface.2 The Department also cited Penington for a serious violation of former WAC 296-155-24611(2)(a) (2016), repealed by Wash. St. Reg. 20-12-091 (effective October 1, 2020),3 based on its failure to describe the method of fall arrest or fall restraint to be provided to its workers in its fall protection work plan. The Department assessed a total penalty of $7,200.

1 The fall protection standards contained in former chapter 296-155 WAC were amended and consolidated into chapter 296-880 WAC. See Wash. St. Reg. 20-12-091. Former WAC 296-155- 24609 is now set out in WAC 296-880-20005.

Former WAC 296-155-24609(1) provided that an employer “shall ensure that the appropriate fall protection system is provided, installed, and implemented according to the requirements in this part when employees are exposed to fall hazards of four feet or more to the ground or lower level when on a walking/working surface.” Relevant here, an appropriate “fall protection system” includes a “fall restraint system” or a “personal fall arrest system.” Former WAC 296-155-24609(2)(iii)(b), (c). A “walking/working surface” is defined as “any area including, but not limited to, floors, a roof surface, bridge, the ground, and any other surfaces whose dimensions are forty-five inches or more in all directions, through which workers can pass or conduct work.” Former WAC 296-155-24603 (2016). 2 Garcia testified that a “leading edge” is the “edge of the walking-working surface where the roof ends.” CP at 396. In this case, the leading edge was the entire perimeter of the first floor roof. 3 As discussed above, the fall protection standards contained in former chapter 296-155 WAC were amended and consolidated into chapter 296-880 WAC. See Wash. St. Reg. 20-12-091. Former WAC 296-155-24611 is now set out in WAC 296-880-10020.

Former WAC 296-155-24611(2) required employers to “develop and implement a written fall protection work plan including each area of the work place where the employees are assigned and where fall hazards of ten feet or more exist.” Relevant here, the fall protection work plan “shall . . . (ii) Describe the method of fall arrest or fall restraint to be provided.” Former WAC 296-155-24611(2)(a).

On September 16, Penington appealed the two citations. On December 3, the Department issued a corrected notice of redetermination affirming its citations, but lowering the total penalty imposed to $4,800.

On December 10, Penington appealed the corrected notice of redetermination to the Board.

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