According to a spokesman, Washington’s Department of Labor and Industries has opened an investigation into Durham Bus Services, following the death of a bus attendant who helped transport students for Spokane Public Schools.
The L&I spokesman, Tim Church, says L&I opened the investigation on Friday, after “we heard about his death and wanted to know more.” He says they’re specifically looking to see if Durham took the appropriate safety precautions, and if there were any violations in the workplace.
Durham Bus Services is at the center of one of the largest outbreaks in Spokane County in recent months. In late February there were 19 COVID positive Durham employees, and 18 more in quarantine. Durham confirmed that at the peak of the outbreak there 28 positive COVID tests and 57 employees were in quarantine.
It’s not clear what started the outbreak. A spokesman for Durham says their investigation showed it may have started with family members and all the cases occurred outside of the workplace. Though a Durham employee, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Durham, and many of the employees, were lax with the COVID protocols.
KHQ heard from dozens of parents, worried that their child was potentially exposed to COVID through a bus driver or bus attendant. Durham says contact tracers from the Spokane Regional Health District were getting in touch with anyone exposed. If you haven’t heard from them, they say your child didn’t have meaningful exposure.
L&I’s investigation started Friday, and Church tells us they have 6 months to complete it. Church says, “our people have been in touch with Durham and at this point we are gathering information, and looking at records, and making sure we understand what’s happened.”
We contacted Durham Bus Services and a spokesman told us tonight that “we can confirm that that investigation is ongoing and certainly we will fully cooperate with them.”
