Current through Register Vol. 24-06, March 15, 2024
(1) You must train
employees in the applicable requirements of this section:
(a) By March 1, 2006, for employees currently
working;
(b) Upon initial
assignment for new employees; and
(c) When necessary to maintain proficiency
for employees previously trained.
(2)
Employee training. You must
ensure that all employees are trained on:
(a)
The emergency alarm signals, including system discharge alarms and employee
evacuation alarms; and
(b) The
primary and secondary evacuation routes that employees must use in the event of
a fire in the workplace. While all vessels and vessel sections must have a
primary evacuation route, a secondary evacuation route is not required when
impracticable.
(3)
Additional training requirements for employees expected to fight
incipient stage fires. You must ensure that employees expected to fight
incipient stage fires are trained on the following:
(a) The general principles of using fire
extinguishers or hose lines, the hazards involved with incipient firefighting,
and the procedures used to reduce these hazards;
(b) The hazards associated with fixed and
portable fire protection systems that employees may use or to which they may be
exposed during discharge of those systems; and
(c) The activation and operation of fixed and
portable fire protection systems that the employer expects employees to use in
the workplace.
(4)
Additional training requirements for shipyard employees designated for
fire response. You must:
(a) Have a
written training policy stating that fire response employees must be trained
and capable of carrying out their duties and responsibilities at all
times;
(b) Keep written standard
operating procedures that address anticipated emergency operations and update
these procedures as necessary;
(c)
Review fire response employee training programs and hands-on sessions before
they are used in fire response training to make sure that fire response
employees are protected from hazards associated with fire response
training;
(d) Provide training for
fire response employees that ensures they are capable of carrying out their
duties and responsibilities under your standard operating procedures;
(e) Train new fire response employees before
they engage in emergency operations;
(f) At least quarterly, provide training on
the written operating procedures to fire response employees who are expected to
fight fires;
(g) Use qualified
instructors to conduct the training;
(h) Conduct any training that involves live
fire response exercises in accordance with NFPA 1403-2002 Standard on Live Fire
Training Evolutions (incorporated by reference, see WAC
296-304-01003 );
(i) Conduct semiannual drills according to
your written procedures for fire response employees that cover site-specific
operations, occupancies, buildings, vessels and vessel sections, and
fire-related hazards; and
(j)
Prohibit the use of smoke generating devices that create a dangerous atmosphere
in training exercises.
(5)
Additional training requirements
for fire watch duty.
(a) You must
ensure that each fire watch is trained by an instructor with adequate fire
watch knowledge and experience to cover the items as follows:
(i) Before being assigned to fire watch
duty;
(ii) Whenever there is a
change in operations that presents a new or different hazard;
(iii) Whenever you have reason to believe
that the fire watch's knowledge, skills, or understanding of the training
previously provided is inadequate; and
(iv) Annually.
(b) You must ensure that each employee who
stands fire watch duty is trained in:
(i) The
basics of fire behavior, the different classes of fire and of extinguishing
agents, the stages of fire, and methods for extinguishing fires;
(ii) Extinguishing live fire scenarios
whenever allowed by local and federal law;
(iii) The recognition of the adverse health
effects that may be caused by exposure to fire;
(iv) The physical characteristics of the hot
work area;
(v) The hazards
associated with fire watch duties;
(vi) The personal protective equipment (PPE)
needed to perform fire watch duties safely;
(vii) The use of PPE;
(viii) The selection and use of any fire
extinguishers and fire hoses likely to be used by a fire watch in the work
area;
(ix) The location and use of
barriers;
(x) The means of
communication designated by you for fire watches;
(xi) When and how to start fire alarm
procedures; and
(xii) Your
evacuation plan.
(c) You
must ensure that each fire watch is trained to alert others to exit the space
whenever:
(i) The fire watch perceives an
unsafe condition;
(ii) The fire
watch perceives that a worker performing hot work is in danger;
(iii) You or a representative of yours orders
an evacuation; or
(iv) An
evacuation signal, such as an alarm, is activated.
(6)
Records. You must
keep records that demonstrate that employees have been trained as required by
subsections (1) through (5) of this section.
(a) You must ensure that the records include
the employee's name; the trainer's name; the type of training; and the date(s)
on which the training took place.
(b) You must keep each training record for
one year from the time it was made or until it is replaced with a new training
record, whichever is shorter, and make it available for inspection and copying
by WISHA on request.
Statutory Authority:
RCW
49.17.010,
49.17.040,
49.17.050,
49.17.060. 05-19-086, §
296-304-01019, filed 9/20/05, effective
12/1/05.