Washington's top workplace safety agency is taking a harder look at the state's paper industry. The move follows a deadly incident that has raised concern about conditions at similar facilities.
The trigger was a catastrophe in Longview. A disastrous implosion that killed 11 people at a facility there a little more than a month ago prompted the state Department of Labor and Industries to examine other sites more closely.
Now the agency is expanding its inspections. Labor and Industries is opening reviews at two additional craft pulp and paper mills, Smurfit WestRock in Longview and the Port Townsend Paper Company.
The two mills have been flagged under a targeted enforcement program. The agency describes the inspections as precautionary and proactive, with the primary goal of protecting worker safety.
The reviews are not expected to be quick. According to the agency, the inspections could last up to six months as officials work through the facilities.
The scope may also grow. Labor and Industries has signaled that the effort could expand to include a review of chemical use at other non-craft paper mills in the state.
Taken together, the steps point to heightened scrutiny of an entire industry. After a loss of life that shook the region, the state appears determined to check whether other mills carry similar risks before another tragedy occurs.