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Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry,
Minnesota OSHA (MNOSHA)
443 Lafayette Road North
St. Paul, Minnesota 55155-4307
PH: (651) 284-5050
TOLL FREE: (877) 470-6742
FAX: (651) 284-5741
Ken Peterson, Commissioner
PH: (651) 284-5010
FAX: (651) 284-5721
Gary Hall, Assistant Commissioner
PH: (651) 284-5285
FAX: (651) 284-5720
James Krueger, Compliance Director
MNOSHA Compliance
PH: (651) 284-5462
FAX: (651) 284-5741
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About the Minnesota State Plan
The Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health program is
administered by the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry.
The department's Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Division is
responsible for compliance program administration, conducting
enforcement inspections, adoption of standards, and operation of
other related OSHA activities. Workplace Safety Consultation
provides consultation services, on request, to help employers
prevent workplace accidents and diseases by identifying and
correcting safety and health hazards, and operates several
employer assistance programs.
Management and administration of Minnesota OSHA (MNOSHA) is the
responsibility of the OSHA Management Team (OMT). The OMT is
comprised of the five Minnesota OSHA Supervisors, two Minnesota
OSHA area directors, and an administrative director. The mission
of Minnesota OSHA (MNOSHA) is to make sure every worker in the
State of Minnesota has a safe and healthful workplace. This
mandate involves the application of a set of tools by MNOSHA
including standards development, enforcement, compliance
assistance, and training and education, which enable employers to
maintain safe and healthful workplaces.
The largest industry in Minnesota is health care. Minnesota is
also an agricultural state with the related grain handling and
processing, dairy, poultry, and meat packing industries. The four
largest manufacturing industries include industrial machinery,
printing and publishing, food and kindred products, and forest
products (paper, lumber, wood, etc.)
Jurisdiction
MNOSHA applies to all public and private sector places of
employment in the State, with the exception of Federal employees,
the United States Postal Service (USPS),
and certain agricultural related operations (field sanitation and
temporary labor camps), which are subject to Federal OSHA
jurisdiction.
See 29 CFR 1952.204.
Public-sector employers in Minnesota (with the exception of
federal agencies and exclusive federal jurisdiction properties)
are covered and are treated exactly as any other employer.
Public-sector employers are subject to the same enforcement
protocols as private sector employers including inspection
scheduling, inspection procedures, complaint and nondiscrimination
procedures, informal conference and contestation procedures,
employee access to information provisions, recordkeeping, and
voluntary compliance programs.
Regulations and Standards
"Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 182, Occupational Safety and Health"
can be accessed from
MNOSHA's website.
Minnesota OSHA generally adopts Federal OSHA standards by
reference. With the exception of the standards listed below, all
federal OSHA standards for General Industry (29 CFR Part 1910) and
Construction (29 CFR Part 1926) have been adopted by Minnesota
OSHA. Minnesota OSHA has also adopted state-specific standards
which address hazards not covered by federal OSHA standards. See
Minnesota Rules, Chapters 5205, 5206, 5207, 5210, and 5215.
Major differences between federal and MNOSHA regulations include:
- Employee Right-to-Know (Minnesota Rules Chapter 5206) is
enforced by MNOSHA instead of the federal Hazard Communication
Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200). Employee Right-to-Know covers harmful
physical agents and infectious agents as well as hazardous
substances and requires annual refresher training in addition to
initial training. The rule covers employees in general industry,
construction, maritime operations, and farming operations with
more than 10 employees or a temporary labor camp.
- Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs [PDF 256K]) (29 CFR 1910.1000 - Air
Contaminants). In 1989, federal OSHA revised its PELs under
1910.1000, which MNOSHA adopted. Although federal OSHA has since
reverted to the pre-1989 PELs, MNOSHA still enforces the 1989 PELs
for substances that are not covered by separate standards. (These
are available on the MNOSHA website.)
- Confined spaces (29 CFR 1910.146 and Minnesota Rules
5207.0300-0304). For general industry, Minnesota OSHA has
adopted the federal Permit-Required Confined Spaces standard, 29
CFR 1910.146. For the construction industry, Minnesota OSHA
enforces Minnesota Rules 5207.0300-0304.
- Lockout Devices in Construction (Minnesota Rules 5207.0600). MNOSHA has adopted its own lockout/tagout standard for the
construction industry. This standard is in addition to 29 CFR
1926.417, Lockout and Tagging of Circuits, and the portions of 29
CFR 1926 Subpart O, Motor Vehicles, Mechanized Equipment and
Marine Operations, which address the control of potential energy.
Employers in general industry must comply with 29 CFR 1910.147,
Control of Hazardous Energy.
- Additional MNOSHA requirements. Minnesota OSHA has also adopted
standards covering topics not addressed in federal OSHA standards.
See All MNOSHA standards and rules.
Enforcement Programs
MNOSHA's current primary inspection emphasis industries include:
- lead and silica;
- wood product manufacturing;
- furniture and related products manufacturing;
- paper manufacturing;
- plastics and rubber product manufacturing;
- food manufacturing, and beverage and tobacco product
manufacturing;
- machinery manufacturing;
- construction;
- printing and related support activities, and publishing
industries;
- the public sector;
- foundries;
- meatpacking; and
- nursing care facilities.
One strategy used by Minnesota OSHA to address hazards in the
public sector is the development of a Special Emphasis inspection
program. For example, when the Fire Brigade Standard was adopted
in 1980, Minnesota OSHA established a Special Emphasis inspection
program for fire departments. All fire departments in the state
were listed and each year fire departments were randomly selected
for a comprehensive inspection. There are approximately 800 fire
departments in Minnesota, both paid and volunteer; all fire
departments were inspected under this program over the course of
several years.
Voluntary and Cooperative Programs
MNSTAR is a Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) program that recognizes companies where
managers and employees work together to develop safety and health
management systems that go beyond basic compliance with all
applicable OSHA standards and result in immediate and long-term
prevention of job-related injuries and illnesses. Key elements of
this comprehensive program include: management leadership and
employee involvement; an allocation of resources to address safety
issues; systems that identify and control workplace hazards; and a
plan for employee safety training and education.
Workplace Safety Consultation, the MNOSHA consultation program,
offers consultations on request to small private-sector employers
and some public-sector employers to help them prevent workplace
accidents and diseases.
In addition to the traditional enforcement and consultation
activities, MNOSHA operates several specialized programs aimed at
assisting employers in making their workplaces safer and more
healthful including the Minnesota Safety and Health Achievement
Recognition Program (MNSHARP), a voluntary, consultation-based
program which assists small high-hazard employers in achieving
safety and health improvements and recognizes them for doing so.
MNOSHA also operates a Labor-Management Safety Committee Program,
a Loggers' Safety Education Program, a Workplace Violence
Prevention Program, and a Safety Grants Program. See
Workplace
Safety Consultation for more information about MNSHARP and the
other programs.
Policies and Procedures
MNOSHA's catalog of policies and directives are available on CD by
request.
Contact MNOSHA.
Informal Conferences and Appeals
If an employer files a Notice of Contest within 20 calendar-days
after receiving the citation, according to the instructions
contained on the form and on the citation, an informal conference
is arranged with the employer to discuss the issues of the case
and determine if an out-of-court settlement can be negotiated. If
an agreement is reached, a written settlement agreement will be
prepared for both parties to sign. If not, the case will be
scheduled for hearing before an administrative law judge. The
employer and the employees have the right to participate in the
hearing; the law does not require they be represented by
attorneys. After the administrative law judge has ruled, any party
to the case may request a further review by the appropriate
District Court. Enabling legislation for the Minnesota OSHA
program is codified in
Minnesota Statutes Chapter 182. For
information about the
Occupational Safety and Health Review Board
please visit MNOSHA's website.
Other Resources
Training and outreach programs on standards and other OSHA-related
topics of general interest are made available to public as well as
private sector employers and employees. Programs have been, and
when requested will be, conducted for specific types of
workplaces, such as fire departments, schools, correctional
facilities, etc.
Although not specifically geared toward public sector employers
and employees, the
Loggers' Safety Education Program, one of the
programs under
Workplace Safety Consultation, has provided safety
training to numerous public sector employers and employees,
primarily from public works departments. The "logging work" done
by these workers is not a daily activity but is usually related to
cleanup following storms or other uncommon events and involves
trees that are damaged and hazardous to work on. The training
sessions cover the requirements of 29 CFR 1910.266, including
personal protective equipment, chainsaw safety and maintenance,
and proper tree felling techniques.
The
Minnesota Department of Health website includes health
information in many categories, including asbestos in schools.
The
Department of Public Safety, Division of Emergency Management,
provides information for emergencies including county and
statewide response plans.
The
University of Minnesota Extension Service provides information
on a broad range of topics including solid waste, pesticide
safety, and indoor environmental issues such as air quality and
air systems.
Disclaimer
OSHA makes every effort to ensure that the information on this page is accurate
and up to date, but changes in state law and procedures affecting the
information on this page are beyond OSHA's control. Contact state program staff
directly to verify important information.
Accessibility Assistance:
Contact the OSHA Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs at 202-693-2200
for assistance accessing PDF materials.
*These files are provided for downloading.
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