Minnesota OSHA Training

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.

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), private sector maritime, and certain agricultural related operations (field sanitation and temporary labor camps), which are subject to Federal OSHA jurisdiction.

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.

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.

Major differences between federal and MNOSHA regulations include:

• Employee Right-to-Know 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) (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. 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.