Economic security is central to public health. But as smoke chokes the state & health officials urge people to stay inside, what is the state's plan to protect the health and safety of people whose work requires them to be outside?
There is no plan.
Many workers — like farmworkers, delivery workers, sanitation workers, construction workers & others — simply can't "stay inside" and do their jobs. So, they’re left to hope for goodwill from companies...the same companies that often pay them low wages & ignore their basic rights.
Our state government has been warning the public this week to stay home and stay indoors to avoid dangerous wildfire smoke exposure. But what if your job requires you to be outside? The state has published several best practices to protect outdoor workers, and all of them boil down to this: the less time you spend outside right now, the safer you’ll be.
But these recommendations aren’t mandatory. How do we know? Because that’s exactly what the state says: “These recommendations are not mandatory.”
The state’s guidelines here are full of caveats about taking safety action “where feasible” and “to the extent practical,” asking employers to “consider” adopting the recommendations.
It’s not good enough for the state to simply recommend that outdoor workers spend less time outside: there needs to be a plan to make that happen.
Imagine if our most basic labor protections used similar language:
—You have the right to earn a minimum wage, where feasible for the company’s business model
—Your employer must provide paid sick days, if practical for customer traffic that day.
—While not mandatory, consider providing workers with paid rest breaks during their shifts.
If our government is going to urge people to stay inside for health reasons, they need to also ensure workers aren't compelled to go to work in unsafe conditions, and they need a plan to prevent workers from loss of income if they're staying safe at home.
Public health requires economic security. We need to take them both seriously. This is true for the many workers facing heightened workplace risks during a deadly pandemic — and it’s also true for the many workers exposed to hazardous wildfire smoke.
State officials are failing to think beyond professional-class workers who can simply “stay inside” until the air quality threat passes. For many workers in our state, staying home isn’t a simple option. Workers can’t rely only on the good faith of employers to protect their safety. If it’s too dangerous for anyone to be outside, then that has to mean everyone.
Are you working outside in the dangerous smoke?
If you’re working outside in hazardous air quality conditions, you may be able to use your right to paid sick leave to stay home and stay safe:
"Workers entitled to Washington State's paid sick leave protections may be entitled to use accrued paid sick leave to care for themselves or a family member whose health has been affected from exposure to wildfire smoke and/or high temperatures."