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WWI News
Be prepared: High temperatures and wildfire smoke may trigger protections for workers
A Message from the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries, July 15, 2025
TUMWATER — Hot temperatures and wildfire smoke are making for hazardous conditions for outdoor workers in our state.
The Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) is reminding employers and workers of the rules to protect workers and what weather conditions trigger extra precautions.
Heat rules
The state heat rules include protections for outdoor workers that kick in at 80 degrees Fahrenheit, with additional requirements in the kind of high heat that much of the state is currently experiencing.
At or above 80 degrees, employers must:
-Encourage and allow workers to take paid preventative cool-down rest periods as needed;
-Provide enough shade or other way of cooling down—like an air-conditioned building or running vehicle—for all employees on a meal or rest break to use;
-Provide enough cool drinking water for each employee to drink a quart per hour; and
-Closely observe new employees, employees returning from absences, and — during heat waves — all employees.
At or above 90 degrees, employers must provide a 10-minute paid cool down rest period every two hours. When the temperature reaches 100 degrees or higher, which it is in many parts of the state, the requirement for breaks becomes 15-minutes of paid cool down rest every hour.
Wildfire smoke rules
A combination of low snowpack, early heat, and rapid snowmelt has created drier than normal conditions, resulting in an earlier wildfire season. Several wildfires are burning across the state this week.
Wildfire smoke is dangerous for people who work outdoor jobs like construction or agriculture. When they breathe in the tiny particles carried by the smoke, it increases the risk of reduced lung function, aggravated asthma, heart failure, and even early death.
State rules require employers to prepare in advance to protect workers from wildfire smoke by putting together a response plan. They must plan for how they’ll communicate with workers, train employees to report smoke, and coordinate medical treatment for employees who say they’re experiencing symptoms like shortness of breath, nausea, chest pain and dizziness. They also must inform their employees of their right to medical care without retribution.
Employers can use indexes like the NowCast Air Quality Index (AQI) to track air quality. As air quality gets worse, employers must provide increasing protections.
Go online to learn more about L&I’s heat rules and wildfire smoke rules.
L&I Workplace Safety for WA Wineries and Retro – Webinar Recording
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HB 2079 Call to Action
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| Send Your HB 2079 Opposition Comments to Your State Send Reps Here | |
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This type of attack on our industry and our work in keeping you informed and engaged in what is happening at the state and local political/regulatory level is exactly why hundreds of Washington wineries, grape growers, regional wine associations, and more are Washington Wine Institute members. If you are a WWI member in current standing, thank you! If you are not, we need you to join and help us continue to fight harmful proposals like this bill. Sign up to be a WWI member here. |
SB 5492 Hearing: Tourism Promotion Hearing
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US Tariffs on Canada and Mexico
The recently announced US government tariffs targeting a variety of products imported from Canada and Mexico swiftly created a threatening response from both countries detailing their retaliatory measures including significant harm to Washington wine’s marketplace and access to many of Canada’s provinces. We are glad to see, even if just temporary for now, these tariffs were put on a 30-day hold so Canada and Mexico can negotiate with the US on ways to work together to appease the US’s border security and other concerns.
The Washington Wine Institute went to work immediately contacting our industry partners and creating a plan for how we can be of most help to our members. Our place in this effort is to protect Washington wine by rallying our entire Washington Congressional delegation and asking them to help by pushing back against the implementation of these tariffs whenever possible. We hold relationships with our US Senate and House offices to reach in to each one and educate them on the immense harm these tariffs may have on their wine industry if fully implemented. We will keep at it while hoping leaders of all three countries can find agreements that will put to an end any talks of tariffs against Canada or Mexico.
California CRV Annual Report Due February 1, 2025
Reminder! If you are a beverage manufacturer and/or distributor that ships wine into California, your 2024 Annual Report is due by February 1 (If the due date falls on a holiday or weekend, it will be moved to the next business day). Beverage Manufacturer sales from December 2024 are also due February 10, according to the Beverage Manufacturer and Distributor 2024 Reporting & Payment Calendar.
Background: In 2023, California added wine and spirits bottles to California’s beverage container recycling program. Starting January 1, 2024, every Washington winery that ships wine to California needs to register with California’s CalRecycle, file monthly reports, and pay processing fees on wine sold to their state. Also, starting July 1, 2025, wine bottle labels for wine sold in California will be required to include CRV, or California Redemption Value.
For more information on reporting and payments under California’s beverage container recycling program, visit
- WWI’s CA Bottle Bill resource page
- CalRecycle’s Reporting and Payment page
- or email marie@wwi.wine to have your question directed to CalRecycle.
Senate Law and Justice Committee Hearing: .05 BAC bill (SB 5067)
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The Senate wasted no time in setting a hearing on Tuesday, the second day of the 105-day legislative session, for SB 5067 the legislative proposal to reduce our state’s allowed BAC from .08 to .05. We testified in opposition to the bill alongside our colleagues in the hospitality and craft beer industries and will continue to oppose this draft of the bill that fails to address what data tells us is factual in this debate; high BAC drivers and repeat offenders are the vast majority of DUI-related fatalities and tackling this problem has a much higher chance of making a meaningful impact on the safety of Washington roads. The proponents continue to ignore the data from Utah sadly showing their .05 law is not working; since 2020 Utah has seen a dramatic increase in DUI-related traffic fatalities. Regardless, we will continue to push for fact-based, data-driven discussions with our legislative leaders asking for a better outcome than what the bill will ultimately fail to provide. Thank you to all WWI members who signed in con on the bill for this week’s hearing; we will continue to ask for your help and support as this policy discussion continues along in the legislative process.
2025 Legislative Session Begins Monday, January 13th
The 2025 Legislative Session begins next Monday, January 13th, and is already off to an incredibly intense speed. Democrats continue to hold the majority in both the House and Senate as well as the Governor’s office. The 2025 Session will be a long, 105 days of the Governor, Senate, and House debating and passing all three of Washington State’s budgets (operating, capital, transportation) as well as many policy bills as both legislative bodies can find a majority of votes to pass. Washington Wine Institute’s priorities for this session include:
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Opposing efforts to change our state’s BAC threshold from .08 to .05 Opposing any attempts to raise state wine excise taxes as a mechanism to fix our state’s multi-billion-dollar budget deficit Supporting a deposit return system for wine glass bottles if state leaders decide to adopt some version of an extended producer responsibility (EPR) overhauling Washington State’s solid waste and recycling system and infrastructure by putting the cost and responsibility of product packaging on “producers” vs. our existing solid waste and recycling system Supporting any opportunities to modernize our alcohol laws through legislation that provides wineries with more opportunities to market and sell their wine in our state |
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LCB Action: Emergency Liquor Permit
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