Chehalis hotel cited for exposing staff to infectious diseases and other dangers

By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter

CHEHALIS – The state has fined a Chehalis hotel more than $97,000 for worker safety and health violations, including exposing employees to infectious diseases, an issue they have been warned of previously.

The Department of Labor and Industries cited the Chehalis Inn & Suites for a total of 31 violations,  according to the state agency. The citations are the result of two inspections that began in August.

A clerk who answered the phone this evening said the business on Southwest Interstate Avenue is currently an Econo Lodge. The manager was not available for comment.

Three of the issues are considered “repeat serious” violations, regarding potential exposure to blood-borne pathogens from hypodermic needles or other infectious material, according to L&I.

A fourth “repeat serious” violation involves the lack of an emergency eyewash and training for employees who work with corrosive cleaning products and pool chemicals.

Agency spokesperson Elaine Fischer indicates those are the exact same violations that were found during a July 2013 inspection

The workplace regulators also cited the facility for 11 serious violations related to asbestos exposure during renovation work at the hotel.

Serious violations are cited for hazards where there’s a possibility of serious injury or death.

The inspections also uncovered an unstable second-floor walkway with damaged railing and rotted areas that exposed workers to the possibility of a fall of over eight feet as well as exposed wires, improperly grounded electrical equipment and other electrical hazards, according to Fischer.

The employer has 15 working days to appeal the citation.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 8th, 2015 at 7:59 pm and is filed under Top story of the day. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

One Response to “Chehalis hotel cited for exposing staff to infectious diseases and other dangers”

  1. CrazyOldMan says:
    Wednesday, December 9, 2015 at 9:22 am

    If you are dumb enough to stay at the Econo Lodge, don’t look under the bed. And definitely don’t walk around in your bare feet or you might step on something sharp.

    I don’t know why L&I decided to make them and example as I am sure most of the motels along I-5 are fleabags, but perhaps, being a chain, the Econo Lodge people can pay the $100k.

    That’s why I have a motorhome.