Di Pietro Trucking Co. v. Department of Labor

# Di Pietro Trucking Co. v. Department of Labor **What Happened** Di Pietro Trucking Company disputed how the Washington Department of Labor and Industries calculated its industrial insurance premiums after a workplace death. The company argued that the department should use the actual cost of the specific death claim when determining the premium increase. Instead, the department used a statewide average death value to calculate what the company owed. **What the Court Decided** The Washington Court of Appeals sided with the Department of Labor and Industries. The court upheld the department's authority to use the statewide average death value rather than the actual claim cost when setting insurance premium increases. **Why This Matters for Workers** This ruling protects a system designed to keep workers' compensation insurance stable and predictable. By using statewide averages instead of individual claim costs, the system prevents single accidents from dramatically spiking one employer's premiums in ways that might discourage workplace safety investments. The decision supports consistent insurance practices that ultimately help fund benefits for injured workers across the state.