SPOKANE, Wash. — A handful of businesses in Spokane County and throughout eastern Washington are facing fines for mask violations, according to the Washington Department of Labor and Industries (L&I).
Since mid-July, L&I has looked into mask complaints concerning more than 4,200 retailers, restaurants and other businesses in the state. In the majority of cases, the businesses that were violating the rules complied after L&I staff explained the requirements or the initial complaints to the state were not substantiated.
The agency has fined eight companies for violating Washington state's mask mandate and three others were cited after public complaints led to the discovery of mask violations among workers.
In July, Gov. Jay Inslee ordered businesses to make sure that their customers and visitors wear face coverings unless they have a medical condition or disability. Businesses also were required to post signs at entrances reminding customers to wear a mask and to create a policy for what workers should do if customers refuse.
“Our goal is to get employers to comply with mask requirements through education and assistance, but if that doesn’t work they can be cited and fined," said Anne Soiza, L&I assistant director for the Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH), in a news release.
The following are employers in eastern Washington who have been fined for public mask violations from July through September 2020.
Businesses fined for public mask violations
Viking Sewing Center in Spokane Valley
The business was fined $5,700 for four violations. It did not require customers without masks to wear one and a sign at the entrance said “mask free zone, enter at your own risk." Workers were not wearing masks.
L&I said the business has submitted an appeal.
Zips Drive-In Restaurants Inc. in Spokane Valley
The business was fined $4,800 for three violations. It did not require customers without a mask to wear one and workers wore masks improperly below their chin. There were no signs requiring masks for customers.
L&I said the business has submitted an appeal.
Zips Drive-In in Ritzville
The business was fined $2,400 for two violations. It did not require customers without masks to wear one, and there were no signs requiring customers to wear masks and no policy in place if they refused. There were no social distancing markers or a barrier between front-counter workers and customers.
Zips Drive-In in Colfax
The business was fined $1,800 for two violations. It did not require customers without masks to wear one and there no signs requiring masks for customers. No social distancing markers were in place.
L&I said the business has submitted an appeal.
Penhalluricks True Value in Moses Lake
The business was fined $1,500 for one violation. Workers were not wearing masks and did not require customers to wear one. There was no signage requiring masks for customers.
Businesses fined for worker violations
Two other businesses in Spokane County that were originally the subject of public masking complaints were instead cited for worker mask violations, L&I said.
Kalico Kitchen in Spokane was fined $2,400 for one violation. Workers were not wearing masks or wearing them incorrectly within six feet of each other, according to L&I. The business has submitted an appeal.
American Tire Depot in Spokane was fined $1,800 for one violation. Workers were not wearing masks and the manager said he was "not going to be shamed into wearing a mask," according to L&I.
How the process works
The state Emergency Operation Center’s reporting system has received thousands of public masking complaints and has directed many of them to L&I. The Department of Licensing and the Liquor and Cannabis Board are also responding to complaints.
Complaints by workers are forwarded directly to L&I’s DOSH staff. In most of the other L&I cases, the department’s investigators visit the business anonymously. If investigators find the complaints are valid, staff contact employers to inform them of public masking requirements.
At that point, most businesses agree to follow the rules. Uncooperative companies receive a warning letter saying they could be cited if they continue to break the law.
If complaints are about major corporations, L&I works directly with the chains’ corporate safety staff to investigate public masking complaints. The department follows up to ensure mask issues, if any, are resolved. In addition, these large corporations are still subject to L&I safety and health inspections.
Any employer who is found continuing to violate the law faces formal enforcement action.
L&I is also enforcing Inslee's Safe Start proclamation prohibiting most businesses from operating unless their county is in the appropriate phase of the statewide plan to reopen and the businesses follow specific safety requirements. The agency issued 11 Safe Start citations over the summer.
In addition to issuing citations, the department has conducted hundreds of inspections and consultations focusing on COVID-19 and worker safety.