Wildfire Smoke & Workplace Safety and Health
Wildfire smoke contains a mixture of harmful chemicals and particles. This smoke can make anyone sick, even healthy individuals.
Exposure to the small particles in wildfire smoke can cause mild to serious symptoms, including:
- Respiratory: Cough, difficulty breathing, wheezing, shortness of breath; asthma attack, runny nose, sore throat, sinus pain or pressure; phlegm.
- Cardiovascular: Chest pain or discomfort, fast or irregular heartbeat, feeling weak, light-headed, faint, or dizzy; or pain or discomfort in the jaw, neck or back.
- Symptoms concerning for a stroke: Sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arm or leg – especially on one side of the body; sudden confusion; trouble speaking or difficulty understanding speech; sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes; sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance, or lack of coordination; sudden severe headache with no known cause.
- Headache, scratchy or irritated eyes, fatigue or tiredness.
Getting Started
Smoke levels can change frequently during the wildfire season. Planning ahead and keeping track of the air quality can protect the health of your outdoor workers.
Wildfire smoke is measured in two ways:
- As PM2.5 which is extremely small particles measured in micrograms per cubic meter (μg/m3). PM2.5 essentially means fine particulate matter.
- NowCast AQI PM2.5 which is an index produced by the EPA to communicate general air quality based on PM2.5. AQI stands for “air quality index”.
Common online tools you can use to check the current air quality include:
- Washington’s Air Monitoring Network from the Department of Ecology.
- Washington Smoke Information blog from government agencies and Tribes.
- Fire and Smoke Map from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Limit outdoor work at high levels of wildfire smoke.
Some ways to protect workers from wildfire smoke include:
- Providing enclosed buildings, structures, or vehicles where the air is adequately filtered.
- Providing portable HEPA filters in enclosed areas.
- Relocating work to a location with a lower smoke level.
- Changing work schedules to a time with a lower smoke level.
- Avoiding or reducing work that creates additional dust, fumes, or smoke (for example limiting welding, sanding, sawing, spray painting, etc.).
- Reducing work intensity.
- Providing additional rest periods.
Respirators filter the air to protect worker’s lungs.
Properly fitted respirators can significantly reduce a worker’s exposure to wildfire smoke. At certain levels of wildfire smoke, employers are required to provide a NIOSH approved N95 respirator to employees. More protective respirators can be provided as well.
Bandanas, scarves, facemasks, KN95’s, or t-shirts worn over the nose and mouth will not provide protection against wildfire smoke. A NIOSH approved N95 respirator is the minimum protection from wildfire smoke.
Working in wildfire smoke can make people sick.
Workers need to alert their employer if they experience any health effects from wildfire smoke exposure. This is so they can be monitored in case their symptoms worsen. In severe cases, workers may need emergency medical attention, or may need to follow the medical advice they have been given.
Employers are not allowed to retaliate against an employee for reporting an air quality hazard, a health effect, or for seeking medical treatment due to a work-related illness or injury.
Review the Wildfire Smoke Standard linked in the Requirements & Policies section of this webpage to see how employees must be protected from wildfire smoke.
Current PM2.5 (μg/m3) | NowCast Air Quality Index (AQI) | Required Protections |
---|---|---|
0.0 - 20.4 | 0 - 68 |
|
20.5 - 35.4 | 69 - 100 | All of the above and: |
35.5 - 250.4 | 101 - 300 | All of the above and: |
250.5 - 500.3 | 301 - 499 | All of the above and: |
500.4 - 554.9 | 500 - beyond the AQI | All of the above and:
|
555 or more | Beyond the AQI | All of the above and: |
Additional requirements and details are found in the Wildfire Smoke Rules linked below.
Need Help? L&I's safety and health consultants can help you understand and comply with the wildfire smoke regulations.
Rules
- Wildfire Smoke Rule, General Industry (Chapter 296-820 WAC)
- Wildfire Smoke for Agriculture (WAC 296-307-09805 through 396-307-09860)
Other L&I Rules
- Firefighters (Chapter 296-305 WAC)
- Respirators (Chapter 296-842 WAC)
- Airborne Contaminants (Chapter 296-841)
Employers covered under the Wildfire Smoke Rules must provide workers with training on wildfire smoke before exposing them to a PM2.5 concentration of 20.5 µg/m3 (AQI 69) or more. Training needs to be done before smoke exposure and repeated every year.
The information and training section of the wildfire smoke rules (WAC 296-820-825) provides more information about employee wildfire smoke training requirements.
Training Templates and Sample Plan
Appendix A in the rules have training and written program templates. Materials for the permanent wildfire smoke rule are currently in final development and will be available in early 2024.
Air Quality Information
- Cell Phone Apps
- Washington Ecology's “Air Quality WA”.
- EPA's "AirNow".
- Washington’s Air Monitoring Network from the Department of Ecology
- Washington Smoke Information (Government Agency and Tribe Collaboration Blog)
- Fire and Smoke Map (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA)
General Wildfire Smoke Safety
- Smoke from Fires from the Washington Department of Health contains many resources on wildfire smoke.
- Smoke-Ready Toolbox for Wildfires from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
- Wildfire Smoke Safety website has additional smoke resources from the Pacific Northwest Agriculture Safety & Health (PNASH) Center at UW.
Indoor Air Quality
- Improving Ventilation and Indoor Air Quality during Wildfire Smoke Events (Dept. of Health).