Washington Department of Labor and Industries is extending an emergency rule addressing the severe labor shortage in the Factory Assembled Structure RV and Park Model RV plan approval program through August 17, 2022, as per an RV Industry Association (RVIA) News & Insights report.
At the start of the year, the plan approval program had over 2,000 floorplans and designs backlog for RVs, Park Model RVs, and other structures. An RV legally requires an approved floorplan to be sold in Washington state.
The extended emergency ruling will give RV manufacturers the option to use state-approved outside “licensed professionals” in approving and submitting their plans or for the manufacturers to send the plans directly to the state without outside assistance.
Currently, the Department of Labor and Industries hosts the new review and submittal guidelines for RVs and Park Model RVs online. Additionally, the webpage also contains information on approved “licensed professionals” that RV manufacturers can use.
Since the start of the year, the department has begun efforts to recruit and train staff for the Factory Assembled Structure Program.
In recent discussions with officials in Factory Assembled Structures, RVIA’s Government Affairs staff discovered that the state is about to start filling and training many positions that have been open for years.
The report said the state aims to fully staff the program as soon as possible, which may be completed soon.
RVIA’s state government affairs and standards teams will keep engaging with the department regarding the emergency rule and backlog issue.
Staff will also monitor and update members regarding changes to the Washington state RV and Park Model RVs approval process.
For more information on this issue, contact RV Industry Association Senior Manager of Government Affairs Nick Rudowich at [email protected].