The State Department of Fish and Wildlife is facing some steep fines after two recent incidents on waterways, one of which resulted in the death of a WDFW employee.
The WDFW is facing more than $200,000 in fines after an investigation into the two incidents by the Washington Department of Labor and Industries found safety violations.
The WDFW was notified of L&I’s findings and penalties last week. Penalties paid from citations go into the workers’ compensation supplemental pension fund, according to L&I.
In January, Mary Valentine, a 48-year-old Fish and Wildlife scientific technician drowned while working on a fish trap on the Duckabush River.
In February, two WDFW Technicians went into the water when their boat overturned at the Nisqually River fish trap near Yelm resulting in the hospitalization of one after they hit their head on the trap.
According to an L&I press release, its investigations found that training programs did not exist or were not implemented across WDFW, and employees were not provided the necessary training they needed for their work in outdoor environments.
L&I cited Fish and Wildlife for willful violations in connection with both incidents, as well as for not providing or requiring the use of approved personal flotation devices, using rigging and straps that were damaged or improperly put together, and not providing training for the use of chainsaws.
The WDFW is facing penalties of $114,000 for nine violations regarding the Duckabush River drowning and another $86,400 for four violations for the Nisqually River incident, according to L&I.