STATEMENT FROM KING COUNTY SOLID WASTE DIVISION DIRECTOR PAT

MCLAUGHLIN TO KING 5 NEWS

RESPONSE TO THE CONCLUSION OF L&I’s WORKPLACE INSPECTION AT THE

CEDAR HILLS REGIONAL LANDFILL

King County’s Solid Waste Division cooperated with the Washington State Department of Labor
and Industries’ (L&I) inspection of the worksite at the Cedar Hills Regional Landfill.

L&I’s inspections focused on potential arsenic exposure risks, and cited landfill operations for
three “general” category violations that center primarily on updates to written documentation.
While any citation is a serious matter, none of the violations involved an unsafe worksite
condition, and no fines were issued. Corrective actions that are underway or complete include:

• Updates to the Solid Waste Division Accident Prevention Program that include
clarifications on the chemical hazard communications program, the voluntary respirator
program, and the hazard assessment plan so employees are informed of all potential
arsenic-related hazards. The division is also identifying the appropriate emergency
actions to take after an accidental exposure to arsenic, as well as a wide array of other
chemical hazards.

• Updated job hazard documentation that more clearly identifies all the job tasks where a
worker may be potentially at risk of arsenic exposure.

• Updating a document to list the name of the current program administrator for the
voluntary respirator program.

A consulting firm with expertise in industrial hygiene was hired to conduct air quality testing to
measure employees’ exposure levels to potential airborne arsenic during their work shifts. The
testing took place over several weeks in December at the Cedar Hills Regional Landfill, and at
seven King County transfer stations. The results of the employee air monitoring showed no
detectable airborne arsenic levels. We have shared these results with our employees, and
continue to engage them in making workplace safety and compliance with safety regulations
the organization’s top priority.

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