This bill amends RCW 49.26.110 to impose and specify state certification, training, and examination requirements for anyone performing work governed by chapter 49.26. It requires a department-issued certificate, sets minimum initial training lengths (asbestos workers: four days; asbestos supervisors: five days), and requires training courses to be provided or approved by the Department of Labor & Industries. Training must cover specified health and safety topics including applicable federal and state standards (protective clothing, respirator use, disposal, air monitoring, cleaning, and decontamination), meet any additional qualifications the department adopts by rule, and applicants must pass a department-provided or -approved exam. The statute clarifies these are minimum requirements and do not prevent employers or contractors from providing additional training. The amendment creates or clarifies administrative procedures and disciplinary authority: the department may provide reciprocal certification for substantially similar out-of-state training (and may require an exam or refresher before issuing reciprocity), may require annual refresher courses for continued certification, and must adopt rules based on best available evidence and nationally recognized standards that are the least burdensome necessary. The department may deny, suspend, or revoke certificates for failure to comply with the chapter, related rules, or applicable standards; if a certificate was obtained by error or fraud or the holder is judged incompetent, suspension or revocation must be for at least six months. Certified persons must show valid department-issued identification on request. The amendment sets procedural protections and appeal rights: certificate holders must receive written notice by a trackable method listing allegations and be offered an opportunity to request a department hearing where both sides may present witnesses and testimony. Orders denying, suspending, or revoking certificates may be appealed to the Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals within 15 working days, with the board’s procedures governed by RCW 49.17.140 and further review available in superior court under RCW 49.17.150. Affected entities include the Department of Labor & Industries, certified asbestos workers and supervisors, employers and contractors, and the Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals. The excerpt does not include an effective date, the full chapter context, or the specific House amendments.

If enacted, the bill would require anyone doing asbestos work in Washington to hold a Department of Labor & Industries certificate, pass a department-approved exam, and complete minimum training (four days for workers, five days for supervisors) with courses covering respirator use, protective clothing, disposal, air monitoring, cleaning, and decontamination. The department can require annual refresher courses, accept substantially similar out-of-state training with conditions, and must issue, deny, suspend, or revoke certificates with written notice and a hearing right; fraud or incompetence can trigger at least a six-month suspension and appeals must be filed to the Board of Industrial Insurance Appeals within 15 working days. The Department of Labor & Industries will take on expanded responsibility to provide or approve training, exams, and rules based on best available evidence and industry standards, which will likely increase its administrative and enforcement workload. Asbestos workers, supervisors, and their employers will face direct costs in time and money to meet the training, exam, and possible annual refresher requirements and carry the risk of losing certification (and the ability to work) for noncompliance, fraud, or incompetence. The bill text does not show an effective date, funding details for the department, or other chapter-wide context, so some implementation specifics remain unclear.