The deadline for most hospitals to submit their next quarterly report on meal and rest break compliance to the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) is just under three weeks away.
The report covers July 1-Sept. 30. Under law, L&I reviews compliance reports to ensure employers meet 80% of the required meal and rest breaks in a quarter for covered employees.
L&I’s Healthcare Standards Program provides the report form and a guidance document. Simply click on the “Medical facilities, hospitals” tab.
For assistance with the form or submissions, contact the program at healthcarelaborstandards@Lni.wa.gov.
Some hospitals exempt
Some hospitals are currently exempt from reporting. This group includes smaller and more remote medical facilities, including:
- Critical care hospitals
- Hospitals with fewer than 25 acute care licensed beds
- Sole community hospitals independent of a health system
- Hospitals located on an island operating within a public hospital district in Skagit county
What’s next
The following are key dates to keep in mind:
- Starting July 1, 2026
- The agency can impose penalties for most hospitals failing to meet the 80% standard. The penalties range from $5,000-$20,000, depending on the size of the hospital.
- Smaller and more remote medical facilities will also be required to submit quarterly reports. Those include hospitals with fewer than 25 acute care licensed beds, or sole community hospitals independent of a health system. They are exempt from reporting until that time.
We encourage you to forward this message to friends and colleagues. By subscribe to the Healthcare Labor Standards email distribution list they will also receive these messages. (Gena Cooper)