2006 Minnesota Statutes

CHAPTER 182. OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH

182.01 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.02 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.03 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.04 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.05 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.06 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.07 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.08 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.09 [Repealed, 1978 c 490 s 1]

182.10 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.11 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.12 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.13 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.14 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.15 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.16 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.17 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.177 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.178 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.179 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.18 [Repealed, 1971 c 652 s 1]

182.19 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.20 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.21 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.22 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.23 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.24 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.25 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.26 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.27 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.28 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.29 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.30 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.31 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.32 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.33 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.34 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.35 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.36 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.37 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.38 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.39 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.40 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.41 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.42 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.43 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.44 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.45 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.46 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.47 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.48 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.49 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.50 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.51 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.52 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.53 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.54 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.55 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.56 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.57 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.58 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.59 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.60 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.61 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.62 [Repealed, 1973 c 732 s 27]

182.65 CITATION AND LEGISLATIVE PURPOSE.
    Subdivision 1. Citation. This chapter shall be known as the "Occupational Safety and
Health Act of 1973."
    Subd. 1a. Employee Right to Know Act. Laws 1983, chapter 316, shall be known as the
"Employee Right to Know Act of 1983."
    Subd. 2. Legislative findings and purpose. The legislature finds that the burden on
employers and employees of this state resulting from personal injuries and illnesses arising out of
work situations is substantial; that the prevention of these injuries and illnesses is an important
objective of the government of this state; that the greatest hope of attaining this objective lies in
programs of research and education, and in the earnest cooperation of government, employers
and employees; and that a program of regulation and enforcement is a necessary supplement to
these more basic programs.
The legislature declares it to be its purpose and policy through the exercise of its powers
to assure so far as possible every worker in the state of Minnesota safe and healthful working
conditions and to preserve our human resources by:
(a) authorizing the Occupational Safety and Health Advisory Council to advise, consult with
or recommend on any matters relating to the Minnesota occupational safety and health plan to the
commissioner of labor and industry and by authorizing the commissioner of labor and industry
to promulgate and enforce mandatory occupational safety and health standards applicable to
employers and employees in the state of Minnesota;
(b) encouraging employers and employees to increase their efforts to reduce the number of
occupational safety and health hazards at their places of employment, and to stimulate employers
and employees to institute new and to perfect existing programs for providing safe and healthful
working conditions;
(c) providing that employers and employees have separate but dependent responsibilities and
rights with respect to achieving safe and healthful working conditions;
(d) providing for research in the field of occupational safety and health; including the
psychological factors involved, and by developing innovative methods, techniques, and
approaches for dealing with occupational safety and health problems;
(e) exploring ways to discover latent diseases, establishing causal connections between
diseases and work in environmental conditions, and conducting other research relating to health
problems, in recognition of the fact that occupational health standards present problems often
different from those involved in occupational safety;
(f) utilizing advances already made by federal laws and regulations providing safe and
healthful working conditions;
(g) providing criteria which will assure insofar as practicable that no employee will suffer
diminished health, functional capacity, or life expectancy as a result of work experience;
(h) providing an effective enforcement program which shall include a prohibition against
giving advance notice of an inspection and sanctions for any individual violating this prohibition;
(i) providing for appropriate reporting procedures with respect to occupational safety and
health, which procedures will help achieve the objectives of this chapter and accurately describe
the nature of the occupational safety and health problem;
(j) encouraging joint labor-management efforts to reduce injuries and diseases arising out
of employment;
(k) providing consultation to employees and employers which will aid them in complying
with their responsibilities under this chapter where such consultation does not interfere with
the effective enforcement of this chapter; and
(l) providing for training programs to increase the number and competence of personnel
engaged in the field of occupational safety and health.
History: 1973 c 732 s 1; 1975 c 271 s 6; 1977 c 305 s 45; 1983 c 216 art 1 s 88; 1983 c 316
s 1,29; 1986 c 444; 2003 c 38 s 1

182.651 DEFINITIONS.
    Subdivision 1. General. For the purpose of this chapter, the terms defined in this section
have the meanings given them.
    Subd. 2. Commissioner. "Commissioner" means the commissioner of labor and industry
or a duly designated representative.
    Subd. 3. Board. "Board" means the Occupational Safety and Health Review Board
established pursuant to section 182.664.
    Subd. 4. Council. "Council" means the Occupational Safety and Health Advisory Council.
    Subd. 5. Department. "Department" means the Department of Labor and Industry.
    Subd. 6. Person. "Person" means one or more individuals, partnerships, associations,
corporations, business trusts, legal representatives, the state of Minnesota and its political
subdivisions, or any group of persons.
    Subd. 7. Employer. "Employer" means a person who employs one or more employees and
includes any person who has the power to hire, fire, or transfer, or who acts in the interest of, or
as a representative of, an employer and includes a corporation, partnership, association, group
of persons, and the state and all of its political subdivisions.
    Subd. 8. Federal standard. "Federal standard" means a standard, or modification thereof,
adopted by a rule promulgated under section 6 of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act
of 1970 Public Law 91-596.
    Subd. 9. Employee. "Employee" means any person suffered or permitted to work by an
employer, including any person acting directly or indirectly in the interest of or as a representative
of, an employer, and shall include state, county, town, city, school district, or governmental
subdivision.
    Subd. 10. Place of employment. "Place of employment" means any factory, plant, foundry,
construction site, farm workplace, premises, vehicle or any other work environment where any
employee is during the course of employment.
    Subd. 11. Standard. "Standard" means an occupational safety and health standard
promulgated by the commissioner which requires conditions, or the adoption or use of one or
more practices, means, methods, operations or processes reasonably necessary or appropriate to
provide safe and healthful employment and places of employment.
    Subd. 12. Serious violation. "Serious violation" means a violation of any standard, rule, or
order other than a de minimis violation which is the proximate cause of the death of an employee.
It also means a violation of any standard, rule, or order which creates a substantial probability
that death or serious physical harm could result from a condition which exists, or from one or
more practices, means, methods, operations, or processes which have been adopted or are in use,
in such a place of employment, unless the employer did not, and could not with the exercise of
reasonable diligence, know of the presence of the violation.
    Subd. 13. Act. "Act" means the Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1973.
    Subd. 14. Hazardous substance. "Hazardous substance" means a chemical or substance, or
mixture of chemicals and substances, which:
(a) is regulated by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration under the
Code of Federal Regulations, title 29, part 1910, subpart Z; or
(b) is either toxic or highly toxic; an irritant; corrosive; a strong oxidizer; a strong sensitizer;
combustible; either flammable or extremely flammable; dangerously reactive; pyrophoric;
pressure-generating; compressed gas; carcinogen; teratogen; mutagen; reproductive toxic agent;
or that otherwise, according to generally accepted documented medical or scientific evidence,
may cause substantial acute or chronic personal injury or illness during or as a direct result of
any customary or reasonably foreseeable accidental or intentional exposure to the chemical
or substance; or
(c) is determined by the commissioner as a part of the standard for the chemical or substance
or mixture of chemicals and substances to present a significant risk to worker health and safety or
imminent danger of death or serious physical harm to an employee as a result of foreseeable use,
handling, accidental spill, exposure, or contamination.
In determining whether a chemical or substance is hazardous under clause (b) or (c), the
commissioner shall, if appropriate, apply the criteria contained in the American National Standard
Institute's American National Standard for the Precautionary Labeling of Hazardous Industrial
Chemicals, Z129.1-1982, or any later revision of that standard. In addition the commissioner
may consider the information contained in appendices which do not appear in the standard and
any other available scientific evidence which substantially indicates a chemical or substance or
mixture of chemicals and substances is hazardous.
Hazardous substance does not include a substance being developed or handled by a
technically qualified individual in a research, medical research, medical diagnostic or medical
educational laboratory or in a health care facility or in a clinic associated with the laboratory or
health care facility, or in a pharmacy registered and licensed under chapter 151. This exemption
applies only to technically qualified individuals and not to persons working in the same work area
who are not technically qualified individuals.
    Subd. 15. Harmful physical agent. "Harmful physical agent" means a physical agent
determined by the commissioner as a part of the standard for that agent to present a significant risk
to worker health or safety or imminent danger of death or serious physical harm to an employee.
This definition includes but is not limited to radiation, whether ionizing or nonionizing.
Harmful physical agent does not include an agent being developed or utilized by a
technically qualified individual in a research, medical research, medical diagnostic or medical
educational laboratory or in a health care facility or in a clinic associated with the laboratory or
health care facility, or in a pharmacy registered and licensed under chapter 151. The exemption
in this clause does not include a physical agent utilized in a laboratory that primarily provides a
quality control analysis for a manufacturing process. This exemption applies only to technically
qualified individuals and not to persons working in the same work area who are not technically
qualified individuals.
    Subd. 16. Technically qualified individual; adoption of rule. (a) "Technically qualified
individual" means a physician, dentist, pharmacist, or lead research individual, other than a
student in one of these fields, who, because of professional or technical education, training,
or experience, understands, at the time of exposure, the health risks and the necessary safety
precautions associated with each hazardous substance, harmful physical agent, infectious agent,
or mixture handled or utilized by the person.
(b) The commissioner shall by rule adopt a standard which specifies the criteria to be
considered in determining whether or not a person is a technically qualified individual under
this subdivision.
    Subd. 17. Hazardous substance or harmful physical agent determinations. For the
purposes of this chapter, the determination of what is a hazardous substance or harmful physical
agent is part of the occupational safety and health standard concerning that substance or agent
adopted under section 182.655, subject only to the rulemaking procedure which the whole
standard is subject to under section 182.655.
    Subd. 18. Hazardous substance exclusions. The following substances or mixtures are
not hazardous substances if they are:
(a) products intended for personal consumption by employees in the workplace;
(b) consumer products packaged for distribution to, and used by, the general public, including
any product used by an employer or the employer's employees in the same form, concentration,
and manner as it is sold to consumers, and to the employer's knowledge, employee exposure is
not significantly greater than the consumer exposure occurring during principal consumer use
of the product;
(c) any article, including but not limited to, an item of equipment or hardware, which
contains a hazardous substance, if the substance is present in a solid form which does not create
a health hazard as a result of being handled by an employee;
(d) any hazardous substance that is bound and not released under normal conditions of work
or in a reasonably foreseeable occurrence resulting from workplace operations;
(e) products sold or used in retail food sale establishments and all other retail trade
establishments, exclusive of processing and repair work areas;
(f) "intoxicating liquor" as defined in section 340A.101, subdivision 14, or "3.2 percent malt
liquor" as defined in section 340A.101, subdivision 19;
(g) "food" as defined in the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, United States Code, title
27, section 321, et seq.; or
(h) any waste material regulated pursuant to the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery
Act, Public Law 94-580, but only with respect to any employer in a business which provides a
service of collection, processing, or disposal of such waste.
The commissioner may, by inclusion in the standards adopted pursuant to section 182.655,
determine whether any of the following may be excluded from the definitions of hazardous
substance or harmful physical agent:
(a) waste products labeled pursuant to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act;
(b) any substance received by an employee in a sealed package and subsequently sold or
transferred in that package, if the seal remains intact while the substance is in the employer's
workplace; or
(c) any substance, mixture, or product if present in a physical state, volume, or concentration
for which there is no valid and substantial evidence that a significant risk to human health may
occur from exposure.
    Subd. 19. Manufacturer. "Manufacturer" means anyone who produces, synthesizes,
extracts, or otherwise makes, processes, blends, packages or repackages a hazardous substance or
harmful physical agent. The term manufacturer also includes anyone who imports into this state
or distributes within this state a hazardous substance or harmful physical agent. Manufacturer
does not include anyone whose primary business concerning the hazardous substance or harmful
physical agent is in retail sales to the public.
    Subd. 20. Infectious agent. "Infectious agent" means a communicable bacterium, rickettsia,
parasites, virus, or fungus determined by the commissioner by rule, with approval of the
commissioner of health, which according to documented medical or scientific evidence causes
substantial acute or chronic illness or permanent disability as a foreseeable and direct result of any
routine exposure to the infectious agent. Infectious agent does not include an agent in or on the
body of a patient before diagnosis.
    Subd. 21. Affected employee. "Affected employee" means a current employee of a cited
employer who is exposed within the scope of employment to the alleged hazard described
in the citation.
    Subd. 22. Authorized employee representative. "Authorized employee representative"
means a labor organization that has a collective bargaining relationship with the cited employer
and that represents affected employees.
    Subd. 23. Respondent. "Respondent" means a person against whom a complaint has been
issued or served.
History: 1973 c 123 art 5 s 7; 1973 c 732 s 2; 1975 c 271 s 6; 1975 c 375 s 1; 1983 c 216 art
1 s 88; 1983 c 316 s 2-7,29; 1984 c 626 s 1; 1985 c 130 s 1; 1985 c 248 s 70; 1986 c 444; 1987 c
384 art 2 s 47; 1989 c 249 s 1-3; 1991 c 233 s 63-65; 1991 c 249 s 31

182.652 COVERAGE.
    Subdivision 1. All places of employment. The provisions of this chapter or any standard
or rule promulgated pursuant to this chapter shall apply to all places of employment within this
state except as noted in subdivision 2.
    Subd. 2. Federal exclusion. Nothing in this chapter shall apply to any working conditions
which are under the exclusive jurisdiction of the federal government.
    Subd. 3. Relationship with federal government. The department, in the exercise of its
duties under this chapter, shall give due consideration to all federal regulations of concurrent
jurisdiction and shall avoid unnecessary duplication of enforcement efforts.
History: 1973 c 732 s 3; 1983 c 216 art 1 s 88; 1983 c 316 s 29; 1985 c 248 s 70

182.6521 INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS.
An independent contractor doing building construction or improvements in the public
or private sector must comply with the occupational safety and health standards that apply
under this chapter to an employer and its employees. This section applies to an independent
contractor however organized including, without limitation, those organized as a partnership,
sole proprietorship, or corporation.
History: 1993 c 344 s 1

182.6525 CRANE OPERATION.
    Subdivision 1. Certification required. An individual may not operate a crane with a lifting
capacity of five tons or more on a construction site unless the individual has a valid crane
operator certificate received from a nationally recognized and accredited certification program.
No employer, and no person who is under a contract to construct an improvement to land, may
permit any employee, agent, or independent contractor to perform work in violation of this
section. A crane operator certification required under this subdivision must be renewed by an
accredited certification program every five years.
    Subd. 2. Exceptions. The requirements of subdivision 1 do not apply to:
(1) a crane operator trainee or apprentice, if the individual is under the direct supervision of a
crane operator who holds a valid crane operator certificate as required in subdivision 1;
(2) a person directly employed by a class 1 or 2 railroad who is qualified by the employing
railroad as a crane operator or boom truck operator while performing work on property owned,
leased, or controlled by the employing railroad;
(3) a person who is employed by or performing work for a public utility, rural electric
cooperative, municipality, telephone company, or industrial manufacturing plant;
(4) a person who is subject to inspection and regulation under the Mine Safety and Health
Act, United States Code, title 30, sections 801 through 962;
(5) a person engaged in boating, fishing, agriculture, or arboriculture;
(6) a person who is a member of and performing work for a uniformed service or who is a
member of and performing work for the United States Merchant Marine;
(7) a person who is operating a crane for personal use on premises owned or leased by
that person; and
(8) a person who is operating a crane in an emergency situation.
    Subd. 3. Penalties. An employer or general contractor may be cited by the commissioner
for a violation of the certification requirements in this section. A citation is punishable as a
serious violation under section 182.666.
History: 2005 c 87 s 1

NOTE: This section, as added by Laws 2005, chapter 87, section 1, is effective July 1, 2007.
Laws 2005, chapter 87, section 3.

182.653 RIGHTS AND DUTIES OF EMPLOYERS.
    Subdivision 1. Scope. Rights and duties of employers include but are not limited to those
specified in this section.
    Subd. 2. Conditions and place of employment. Each employer shall furnish to each of its
employees conditions of employment and a place of employment free from recognized hazards
that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious injury or harm to its employees.
    Subd. 3. OSHA standards. Each employer shall comply with occupational safety and health
standards or rules promulgated pursuant to this chapter.
    Subd. 4. Inspections. Each employer shall refrain from any unreasonable restraint on the
right of the commissioner or an authorized representative of the commissioner to inspect the
employer's place of business. Each employer shall assist the commissioner, or an authorized
representative of the commissioner, in the performance of inspection duties by supplying or
by making available information dealing with injury reports, general safety records, and other
records required under this chapter, and any necessary personnel or necessary inspection aids.
    Subd. 4a. Disclosure requirements. An employer who is a manufacturer of a hazardous
substance or a mixture of substances shall provide an employer who purchases the substance
with the information necessary for the purchasing employer to comply with subdivision 4b.
A manufacturer of equipment which may generate a harmful physical agent environment
approximating that allowed by the standard adopted by the commissioner, shall provide an
employer who purchases the equipment with the information necessary for the purchasing
employer to comply with subdivision 4c. The information shall be provided at the time of
purchase and shall be current, accurate, and complete for each substance, equipment, or mixture.
For a mixture of hazardous substances, the manufacturer may provide the information
required by this section on the entire product mixture, instead of on each hazardous substance in
it, if all of the following conditions are met: hazard test information exists on the mixture itself or
adequate information exists to form a valid judgment of the hazardous properties of the mixture
itself and the manufacturer indicates that the conclusions drawn are from some source other
than direct testing on the mixture; information on the mixture will be as effective in protecting
employee health as information on the ingredients; and the hazardous substances in the mixture
are identified together, with the information on the mixture.
    Subd. 4b. Hazardous substance training. Prior to an employee's initial assignment to a
workplace where the employee may be routinely exposed to a hazardous substance or harmful
physical agent, the employer shall provide training concerning the hazardous substance or
harmful physical agent. The employer shall provide additional instruction whenever the employee
may be routinely exposed to any additional hazardous substance or harmful physical agent. The
term "routinely exposed" includes the exposure of an employee to a hazardous substance when
assigned to work in an area where a hazardous substance has been spilled.
For each hazardous substance to which the employee may be routinely exposed, the
employer's training program shall include:
(a) the name or names of the substance including any generic or chemical name, trade
name, and commonly used name;
(b) the level, if any and if known, at which exposure to the substance has been restricted
according to standards adopted by the commissioner, or, if no standard has been adopted,
according to guidelines established by competent professional groups including but not limited
to the American Industrial Hygiene Association, the American Conference of Governmental
Industrial Hygienists, the Center for Disease Control, the Bureau of Radiological Health, and
the American National Standards Institute;
(c) the primary routes of entry and the known acute and chronic effects of exposure at
hazardous levels;
(d) the known symptoms of the effects;
(e) any potential for flammability, explosion, or reactivity of the substance;
(f) appropriate emergency treatment;
(g) the known proper conditions for safe use of and exposure to the substance;
(h) procedures for cleanup of leaks and spills;
(i) the name, phone number and address of the manufacturer of the hazardous substance; and
(j) a written copy of all of the above information which shall be readily accessible in the area
or areas in which the hazardous substance is used or handled.
Employees who have been routinely exposed to a hazardous substance prior to the effective
date of Laws 1983, chapter 316 and who continue to be routinely exposed to that hazardous
substance after the effective date of Laws 1983, chapter 316, shall be trained with respect to that
hazardous substance within six months of the effective date of Laws 1983, chapter 316.
Training to update the information required to be provided under this subdivision shall be
repeated at intervals no greater than one year.
Every employer shall maintain current information for training under this subdivision or for
information requests by employees under section 182.654, subdivision 10.
This subdivision does not apply to any employer engaged in a farming operation.
This subdivision does not apply to any nonpublic school or any school district before
January 1, 1985.
Any technically qualified individual shall be notified of and may elect to participate in any
training or update programs required to be provided under this subdivision to employees who
are not technically qualified individuals. The employer shall make a reasonable attempt to allow
technically qualified individuals to attend training or update programs which may be held during
the employee's scheduled work hours.
    Subd. 4c. Harmful physical agent training. For each harmful physical agent to which
an employee may be routinely exposed, the employer's training program shall include the
information required by the standard for that physical agent as determined by the commissioner,
including but not limited to:
(a) the name or names of the physical agent including any commonly used synonym;
(b) the level, if any and if known, at which exposure to the physical agent has been restricted
according to standards adopted by the commissioner, or, if no standard has been adopted,
according to guidelines established by competent professional groups including but not limited to
the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists, the Center for Disease Control,
the Bureau of Radiological Health, and the American National Standards Institute;
(c) the known acute and chronic effects of exposure at hazardous levels;
(d) the known symptoms of the effects;
(e) appropriate emergency treatment;
(f) the known proper conditions for safe use of and exposure to the physical agent;
(g) the name, phone number and address, if appropriate, of the manufacturer of the
equipment which generates the harmful physical agent; and
(h) a written copy of all of the above information which shall be readily accessible in the area
or areas in which the harmful physical agent is present and where the employee may be exposed
to the agent through use, handling or otherwise.
Employees who have been routinely exposed to a harmful physical agent prior to the
effective date of Laws 1983, chapter 316 and who continue to be routinely exposed to that harmful
physical agent after the effective date of Laws 1983, chapter 316, shall be trained with respect to
that harmful physical agent within six months of the effective date of Laws 1983, chapter 316.
Training to update the information required to be provided under this subdivision shall be
repeated at intervals no greater than one year.
Every employer shall maintain current information for training under this subdivision or for
information requests by employees under section 182.654, subdivision 10.
This subdivision does not apply to any employer engaged in a farming operation.
Any technically qualified individual shall be notified of and may elect to participate in any
training or update programs required to be provided under this subdivision to employees who
are not technically qualified individuals. The employer shall make a reasonable attempt to allow
technically qualified individuals to attend training or update programs which may be held during
the employee's scheduled work hours.
    Subd. 4d. Waste disposal training. Each employer who is in the business of providing a
service of collection, processing, or disposal of waste regulated pursuant to the federal Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act, Public Law 94-580, shall provide employees who are routinely
exposed to this waste a general safety training program approved by the commissioner. This
training program shall be appropriate for the seriousness of the safety hazards commonly
encountered by the employees and shall include: training concerning the general safety hazards
involved in the collection, processing, or disposal of the waste; proper safety procedures to
avoid the deleterious effects of these hazards; and common symptoms of the deleterious effects.
Training shall be provided to employees within 60 days of the commissioner's approval of the
training program, or, if the employee is employed after this 60-day period, prior to the employees'
initial assignment where they will be routinely exposed to waste. The employer's safety training
program shall be submitted to the commissioner for approval within two months of the effective
date of Laws 1983, chapter 316. Refresher courses reviewing the information of the training
program shall be given to employees at intervals no greater than one year.
    Subd. 4e. Farming operation training. Each employer who is engaged in a farming
operation and employs more than ten employees or who is engaged in a farming operation and
maintains a temporary labor camp and employs any of its residents, shall comply with a training
program, developed by the commissioner, concerning the hazardous substances and harmful
physical agents to which the employees are routinely exposed. The commissioner shall develop
this training program in consultation with experts in agricultural work environment hazards.
The program shall be designed to fulfill the same purposes as training under subdivisions 4b
and 4c, but take into account factors unique to farming operations. These factors shall include
but not be limited to the fact that many agricultural employees' primary language is Spanish
and the fact that many chemicals used by agricultural employers are labeled under the Federal
Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act. The commissioner shall complete implementation
of this program by March 1, 1986.
    Subd. 4f. Infectious agent training. Each employer shall provide training according to a
program developed by the commissioner by rule with approval of the commissioner of health to
its employees routinely exposed to an infectious agent. The training shall include the information
required by the rule for that agent as developed by the commissioner and shall include, if known,
names of infectious agents to which the employee is routinely exposed, proper techniques for
the employee to avoid self-contamination, and symptoms and effects of contamination. Training
shall be provided upon the initial assignment of the employee to a job where that person will be
routinely exposed to an infectious agent. Existing in-service, hospital licensure or certification
programs which the commissioner determines substantially comply with the rules adopted
pursuant to this subdivision may be certified by the commissioner to satisfy all or a part of the
rules.
Infectious agent does not include an agent being developed or regularly utilized by a
technically qualified individual in a research, medical research, medical diagnostic, or medical
educational laboratory or in a health care facility or in a clinic associated with a laboratory or
health care facility, or in a pharmacy registered and licensed under chapter 151.
Training to update the information required to be provided under this subdivision shall be
repeated at intervals no greater than one year.
Any technically qualified individual shall be notified of and may elect to participate in any
training or update programs required to be provided under this subdivision to employees who
are not technically qualified individuals. The employer shall make a reasonable attempt to allow
technically qualified individuals to attend training or update programs which may be held during
the employee's scheduled work hours.
    Subd. 4g. Training statements. Every employer shall have the right to request that their
employees sign statements that they have received appropriate training under this subdivision,
once training has been completed.
    Subd. 5. Employer participation in development of standards. Any employer or
association of employers is entitled to participate in the development, revision and revocation
of standards by submission of comments on proposed standards, participation in hearings on
proposed standards, or by requesting the development of standards on a given issue, under
section 182.655.
    Subd. 6. Variances. Any employer is entitled, under section 182.655, to seek an order
granting a variance from an occupational safety and health standard.
    Subd. 7. Trade secrets; privileged communications. Any employer is entitled, under
section 182.668, to protection of trade secrets and other legally privileged communications.
    Subd. 8. Work place programs or AWAIR. An employer covered by this section must
establish a written work place accident and injury reduction program that promotes safe and
healthful working conditions and is based on clearly stated goals and objectives for meeting those
goals. The program must describe:
(1) how managers, supervisors, and employees are responsible for implementing the program
and how continued participation of management will be established, measured, and maintained;
(2) the methods used to identify, analyze, and control new or existing hazards, conditions,
and operations;
(3) how the plan will be communicated to all affected employees so that they are informed of
work-related hazards and controls;
(4) how work place accidents will be investigated and corrective action implemented; and
(5) how safe work practices and rules will be enforced.
An employer must conduct and document a review of the work place accident and injury
reduction program at least annually and document how procedures set forth in the program
are met.
    Subd. 9. Standard industrial classification list. The commissioner shall adopt, in
accordance with section 182.655, a rule specifying a list of either standard industrial classifications
of employers or North American industry classifications of employers who must comply
with subdivision 8. The commissioner shall demonstrate the need to include each industrial
classification on the basis of the safety record or workers' compensation record of that industry
segment. An employer must comply with subdivision 8 six months following the date the standard
industrial classification or North American industry classification that applies to the employee is
placed on the list. An employer having less than 51 employees must comply with subdivision 8
six months following the date the standard industrial classification or North American industry
classification that applies to the employee is placed on the list or by July 1, 1993, whichever is
later. The list shall be updated every two years.
    Subd. 10. Rulemaking authority. The commissioner's rulemaking authority for the purpose
of implementing subdivision 8 is limited to specifying the list of standard industrial classifications
as provided in subdivision 9.
History: 1973 c 732 s 4; 1983 c 216 art 1 s 88; 1983 c 316 s 8-14,29; 1984 c 431 s 1-3;
1985 c 130 s 2-6; 1985 c 248 s 70; 1986 c 444; 1986 c 456 s 2-4; 1988 c 629 s 43; 1989 c 249 s 4;
1990 c 508 s 1-3; 1991 c 233 s 67; 2005 c 86 s 1

182.654 RIGHTS AND DUTIES OF EMPLOYEES.
    Subdivision 1. Scope. Rights and duties of employees include but are not limited to those
specified in this section.
    Subd. 2. OSHA standards. Each employee shall comply with occupational safety and
health standards and all rules and orders issued pursuant to this chapter which are applicable
to the employee's own actions and conduct.
    Subd. 3. Employee participation in development of standards. Any employee or
association of employees is entitled to participate in the development, revision and revocation
of standards by submission of comments on proposed standards, participation in hearings on
proposed standards, or by requesting the development of standards on a given issue, under
section 182.655.
    Subd. 4. Notification of variance requests. Each employee or an authorized representative
shall be notified by an employer of any application for a temporary order granting the employer
a variance from any provision of this chapter or standard or rule promulgated pursuant to this
chapter.
    Subd. 5. Variance hearings. The employee representative shall be given the opportunity to
participate in any hearing which concerns an application by an employer for a variance from a
standard promulgated under this chapter.
    Subd. 6. Petitions. Any employee who may be adversely affected by a standard or variance
issued pursuant to section 182.655 may file a petition stating a position with regard to proposed
standard or variance with the commissioner.
    Subd. 7. Excess exposures. An employee who has been exposed or is being exposed to
hazardous substances or harmful physical agents in concentrations or at levels in excess of that
provided for by an applicable standard shall be provided by the employer with the opportunities
provided in section 182.655, subdivision 10a.
    Subd. 8. Right to request inspection. Subject to rules issued pursuant to this chapter any
employee or authorized representative of employees has the right to request an inspection and
to consult with the commissioner at the time of the physical inspection of any workplace as
provided in section 182.659.
    Subd. 9. Discriminatory acts prohibited. No employee shall be discharged or in any way
discriminated against because such employee has filed any complaint or instituted or caused to
be instituted any proceeding or inspection under or related to this chapter or has testified or is
about to testify in any such proceeding or because of the exercise by such employee on behalf of
the employee or others of any right afforded by this chapter. Discriminatory acts are subject to
the sanctions contained in section 182.669.
    Subd. 10. Access to information. An employee, except an employee employed in a
farming operation with ten or fewer employees and no temporary labor camp, or the designated
representative of the employee has the right to request and receive from the employer, within a
reasonable period of time, access to information the employer is required to provide the employee
under section 182.653, subdivision 4b, 4c, 4d, or 4e. For the purposes of this subdivision and
section 182.668, subdivision 5, "designated representative" means a labor organization, as defined
in section 179.01, subdivision 6, that represents employees under a valid collective bargaining
agreement, or another employee whom an employee or former employee has authorized, in
writing, to exercise the employee's rights under this chapter.
Every employee employed in a farming operation with ten or fewer employees and no
temporary labor camp, and any agricultural employee association or union representing that
employee, shall have the right, upon request, to receive from their employer, within a reasonable
period of time, any information on a label that is required by any federal or state health and safety
law to be on the container of any substance or chemical to which the employee is routinely
exposed.
    Subd. 11. Refusal to work under dangerous conditions. An employee acting in good faith
has the right to refuse to work under conditions which the employee reasonably believes present
an imminent danger of death or serious physical harm to the employee.
A reasonable belief of imminent danger of death or serious physical harm includes but
is not limited to a reasonable belief of the employee that the employee has been assigned to
work in an unsafe or unhealthful manner with a hazardous substance, harmful physical agent
or infectious agent.
An employer may not discriminate against an employee for a good faith refusal to perform
assigned tasks if the employee has requested that the employer correct the hazardous conditions
but the conditions remain uncorrected.
An employee who has refused in good faith to perform assigned tasks and who has not been
reassigned to other tasks by the employer shall, in addition to retaining a right to continued
employment, receive pay for the tasks which would have been performed if (1) the employee
requests the commissioner to inspect and determine the nature of the hazardous condition, and (2)
the commissioner determines that the employee, by performing the assigned tasks, would have
been placed in imminent danger of death or serious physical harm.
History: 1973 c 732 s 5; 1983 c 216 art 1 s 88; 1983 c 316 s 15-17,29; 1984 c 431 s 4;
1985 c 130 s 7; 1985 c 248 s 70; 1986 c 444

182.6545 RIGHTS OF NEXT OF KIN UPON DEATH.
In the case of a death of an employee, the department shall make reasonable efforts to locate
the employee's next of kin and shall mail to them copies of the following:
(1) citations and notification of penalty;
(2) notices of hearings;
(3) complaints and answers;
(4) settlement agreements;
(5) orders and decisions; and
(6) notices of appeals.
In addition, the next of kin shall have the right to request a consultation with the department
regarding citations and notification of penalties issued as a result of the investigation of the
employee's death. For the purposes of this section, "next of kin" refers to the nearest proper
relative as that term is defined by section 253B.03, subdivision 6, paragraph (c).
History: 2000 c 488 art 2 s 11

182.655 OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH STANDARDS.
    Subdivision 1. Standards and variances; exempt rules. Standards and variances shall be
proposed, granted, adopted, modified or revoked by the commissioner in accordance with the
procedures of this section. The standards and variances are exempt from the Administrative
Procedure Act but, to the extent authorized by law to adopt rules, the commissioner may use
the provisions of section 14.386, paragraph (a), clauses (1) and (3). Section 14.386, paragraph
(b) , does not apply to these rules.
    Subd. 2. Rulemaking procedures. Whenever the commissioner, in order to serve the
objectives of this chapter, determines that a rule should be promulgated under this section,
establishing, modifying or revoking an occupational safety and health standard, the commissioner
shall publish a proposed rule promulgating, modifying, or revoking an occupational safety or
health standard and shall afford interested persons a period of 30 days after publication to submit
written data or comments.
On or before the last day of the period provided for the submission of written data or
comments, any interested person may file with the commissioner written objections to the
proposed rule, stating the grounds therefor and requesting a public hearing on such objections.
Within 30 days after the last day for filing such objections, the commissioner shall publish a
notice specifying the occupational safety or health standard to which objections have been filed
and a hearing requested, and specifying a time and place for such hearing.
    Subd. 3. Rule promulgation. Within 60 days after the expiration of the period provided for
the submission of written data or comments or within 60 days after the completion of any hearing,
the commissioner shall issue a rule promulgating, modifying, or revoking an occupational safety
or health standard or make a determination that a rule should not be promulgated. Such a rule
may contain a provision delaying its effective date for such period, not in excess of 90 days, as
the commissioner determines may be necessary to insure that affected employers and employees
will be informed of the existence of the standard and of its terms and that employers affected
are given an opportunity to familiarize themselves and their employees with the existence of the
requirements of the standard.
    Subd. 4. Standards for hazardous substances and harmful physical agents. The
commissioner, in adopting standards dealing with hazardous substances or harmful physical
agents under this section, shall set the standard which most adequately assures, to the extent
feasible, on the basis of the best available evidence, that no employee will suffer material
impairment of health or functional capacity even if the employee has regular exposure to the
hazard dealt with by the standard for the period of the employee's working life. Development of
standards under this subdivision shall be based upon research, demonstrations, experiments, and
other information as may be appropriate. In addition to the attainment of the highest degree of
health and safety protection for the employee, other considerations shall be the latest available
scientific data in the field, the feasibility of the standards, and experience gained under this and
other health and safety laws. Whenever practicable, the standard adopted shall be expressed in
the terms of objective criteria and of the performance desired.
    Subd. 5. Variances. Any employer may apply to the commissioner for a temporary order
granting a variance from a standard or any provision thereof promulgated under this section.
Such temporary order shall be granted only if the employer files an application which meets the
requirements of subdivision 7 and establishes that:
(a) it is unable to comply with a standard by its effective date because of unavailability of
professional or technical personnel or of materials and equipment needed to come into compliance
with the standard or because necessary construction or alteration of facilities cannot be completed
by the effective date;
(b) it is taking all available steps to safeguard employees against the hazards covered by
the standard; and
(c) it has an effective program for coming into compliance with the standard as quickly
as practicable.
    Subd. 6. Temporary orders. Any temporary order issued under this section shall prescribe
the practices, means, methods, operations and processes which the employer must adopt and use
while the order is in effect and state in detail the employer's program for coming into compliance
with the standard. Such a temporary order may be granted only after notice to employees and
to employee representative and an opportunity for a hearing; provided, that the commissioner
may issue one interim order to be effective until a decision is made on the basis of a hearing. No
temporary order may be in effect for longer than the period needed by the employer to achieve
compliance with the standard or one year, whichever is shorter, except that such an order may be
renewed not more than twice. No such order shall be renewed unless the requirements of this
section are met and an application for renewal is filed at least 90 days prior to the expiration date
of the order. No interim order may remain in effect for longer than 180 days.
    Subd. 7. Applications for temporary orders. An application for a temporary order under
this section shall contain:
(a) a specification of the standard or portion thereof from which the employer seeks a
variance;
(b) a representation by the employer, supported by representations from qualified persons
having first hand knowledge of the facts represented, that it is unable to comply with the standard
or portion thereof and a detailed statement of the reasons therefor;
(c) a statement of the steps being taken and which will be taken, with specific dates, to
protect employees against the hazards covered by the standard;
(d) a statement of when it expects to be able to comply with the standard and what steps it
has taken and will take, with specific dates, to come into compliance with the standard; and
(e) a certification that it has informed employees of the application by giving a copy thereof
to their authorized representative, posting a statement giving a summary of the application and
specifying where a copy may be examined at the place or places where notices to employees are
normally posted, and by other appropriate means, and that it has informed employees of their
right to petition the commissioner for a hearing.
    Subd. 8. Permanent variances. Any affected employer may apply to the commissioner for a
rule or order for a permanent variance from a standard promulgated under this section. Affected
employees shall be given a notice of each such application and an opportunity to participate in a
hearing. The commissioner shall issue such rule or order if the commissioner determines on the
record, after opportunity for an inspection where appropriate and a hearing, that the proponent of
the variance has demonstrated by a preponderance of the evidence that the conditions, practices,
means, methods, operations or processes used or proposed to be used by an employer will
provide employment and places of employment to employees which are as safe and healthful
as those which would prevail if there was compliance with the standard. The rule or order so
issued shall prescribe the conditions the employer must maintain, and the practices, means,
methods, operations and processes which it must adopt and utilize. Such a rule or order may be
modified or revoked upon application by an employer, employees, or by the commissioner on the
commissioner's own motion, in the manner prescribed for its issuance under this subdivision at
any time after six months from its issuance.
    Subd. 9. Variance for experimental techniques. The commissioner is authorized to grant a
variance from any standard or portion thereof whenever the commissioner determines that such
variance is necessary to permit an employer to participate in an experiment approved by the
commissioner or the United States Secretary of Labor or the United States Secretary of Health,
Education and Welfare, designed to demonstrate or validate new and improved techniques to
safeguard the health and safety of workers.
    Subd. 10. Labels and other warnings. Any standard adopted under this section shall
prescribe the use of labels or other appropriate forms of warning as are necessary to insure
that employees are apprised of all hazards to which they are exposed, relevant symptoms and
appropriate emergency treatment, and proper conditions and precautions of safe use or exposure.
In the case of containers containing a hazardous substance or equipment which generates
a harmful physical agent, a label is required as an appropriate form of warning in providing
substantially the same information as required under section 182.653, subdivision 4b, 4c, or 4e.
As a minimum, a hazardous substance container must be tagged or marked with (a) the identity of
the hazardous substance; (b) the appropriate hazard warnings; and (c) the name and address of the
chemical manufacturer, importer, or other responsible party.
A label may be a coded reference to an appropriate and accessible data sheet containing
the information required under section 182.653, subdivision 4b, 4c, or 4e. When appropriate,
a current data sheet may be affixed to, or posted in, accessible close proximity to a container
containing a hazardous substance or a work area where there is a harmful physical agent in
satisfaction of standards adopted for labels under this chapter. Containers may be labeled pursuant
to federal or state labeling requirements that the commissioner certifies as satisfying the labeling
standards adopted under this chapter. Specifically, pesticides that are labeled in accordance with
the federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (United States Code, title 7, section 136
et seq.); any food, food additive, color additive, drug, or cosmetic including materials intended
for use as ingredients in products labeled in accordance with the requirements of the federal
Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (United States Code, title 21, section 301 et seq.); distilled spirits,
(beverage alcohols), wine, or malt beverage labeled in accordance with the federal Alcohol
Administration Act (United States Code, title 27, section 201 et seq.); any consumer products as
defined in the Consumer Product Safety Act (United States Code, title 15, section 2051 et seq.)
and labeled in accordance with the requirement of that act; or any hazardous substance as defined
in the federal Hazardous Substances Act (United States Code, title 15, section 1261 et seq.)
and labeled in accordance with the requirements of that act shall meet the requirements of the
labeling standards adopted under this chapter.
    Subd. 10a. Protective equipment; monitoring exposure levels; medical exams. Where
appropriate, standards shall prescribe suitable protective equipment, if feasible engineering
and administrative methods of protection alone do not provide adequate protection, and this
equipment shall be made available by and at the cost of the employer. The standards shall also
provide for monitoring or measuring employee exposure at the locations and intervals and in the
manner as may be necessary and appropriate for the protection of employees. Where appropriate,
a standard shall prescribe the type and frequency of medical examinations or other tests which
shall be made available by the employer, or at the employer's cost, to employees exposed to
hazards in order to most effectively determine whether the health of those employees is adversely
affected by the exposure. The results of these examinations or tests shall be furnished only to
the commissioner, the employee's physician, at the request of the employee, and the employer
with notice to the employee.
    Subd. 11. Emergency temporary standards. The commissioner shall adopt an emergency
temporary standard to take immediate effect upon publication if the commissioner determines:
(a) that employees are exposed to grave or imminent danger from exposure to hazardous
substances or harmful physical agents or other hazards; and
(b) that the emergency standard is necessary to protect employees from the danger. The
standard shall be effective until superseded by a standard adopted in accordance with the
procedures prescribed in subdivision 2.
Upon publication of the standard or standards, which interested persons may receive upon
request and payment of fees, the commissioner shall commence a proceeding in accordance with
subdivision 2 and the standard as published shall also serve as a proposed rule for the proceeding;
the commissioner shall adopt a standard under this section no later than six months after the
publication of the emergency standard.
    Subd. 12. Standards affecting interstate commerce. Standards promulgated under this
section shall not be different from federal standards where the standard significantly affects
interstate commerce, unless such standards are required by compelling local conditions and
do not unduly burden interstate commerce.
    Subd. 13. Relation to federal law. All standards adopted by the commissioner shall be at
least as effective as those which are presently or will, in the future, be promulgated under section
6 of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970.
    Subd. 14. Relation to other standard-setting organizations. The commissioner may
recommend for adoption those portions of current occupational health and safety standards
deemed significant and deserving of mandatory status adopted by the Threshold Limit Value
Committees of the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists, the American
National Standards Institute, or other recognized national standard-setting organizations and
recommended to the commissioner by the council; and may further periodically adopt changes in
such standards under the same circumstances but not more often than once a year.
History: 1973 c 732 s 6; 1975 c 271 s 6; 1981 c 253 s 27; 1982 c 424 s 130; 1983 c 216 art
1 s 88; 1983 c 316 s 18-21,29; 1985 c 130 s 8,9; 1986 c 444; 1997 c 187 art 5 s 27

182.6555 REDUCING OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURES TO BLOODBORNE
PATHOGENS THROUGH SHARPS INJURIES.
(a) Employers must comply with Code of Federal Regulations, title 29, section 1910.1030, to
eliminate or minimize employee exposure to bloodborne pathogens through sharps injuries.
(b) Written exposure control plans prepared by employers must be reviewed at least annually
and whenever necessary to reflect new or modified tasks and procedures which affect occupational
exposures and to reflect new or revised employee positions with occupational exposure. The
requirement to review and update the plan means that the plan must reflect changes in technology
that eliminate or reduce exposure to bloodborne pathogens. The exposure control plan must
document consideration and implementation of appropriate commercially available and effective
engineering controls, for example, needleless systems and sharps with engineered sharps injury
protection, designed to eliminate or minimize exposure.
(c) A safety committee established under section 182.676 must make advisory
recommendations for the use of effective engineering controls. The recommendations are not
binding on the employer. One-half of the members of the safety committee must be employee
representatives of job classifications that would use or may reasonably anticipate encountering
any device in the category being evaluated in the performance of the employee's duties. The
employer may establish a subcommittee of the safety committee to meet the requirements of this
paragraph. One-half of the members of this subcommittee must be employee representatives of
job classifications that would use or may reasonably anticipate encountering any device in the
category being evaluated in the performance of the employee's duties. Employers not required to
establish a safety committee under section 182.676 must involve their employees in the evaluation
of effective engineering controls.
(d) MS 2002 [Expired, 2000 c 351 s 1]
(e) Employers must establish internal procedures to document the route of exposure and the
circumstances under which an exposure incident occurred. This information should include:
(1) engineering controls in use at the time;
(2) work practices followed;
(3) a description and brand name of the device in use;
(4) protective equipment or clothing that was used at the time of the exposure incident;
(5) location;
(6) procedure being performed when the incident occurred;
(7) the employee's training; and
(8) the injured employee's opinion about whether any other engineering, administrative, or
work practice control could have prevented the injury and the basis for that opinion.
History: 2000 c 351 s 1

182.656 OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADVISORY COUNCIL.
    Subdivision 1. Council creation; makeup of council. An Occupational Safety and Health
Advisory Council consisting of 12 members appointed by the commissioner of labor and industry
is created to advise the department. The council members shall be chosen so that three shall
represent management; three shall represent labor; three shall represent occupational safety and
health professions; and three shall represent the general public.
The commissioner of labor and industry shall designate one of the public members as chair.
The members shall be selected upon the basis of their experience and competence in the field of
occupational safety and health. The commissioner of labor and industry shall be an ex officio
member and shall serve as secretary of the council. The council shall elect from its members,
by a concurring vote of not less than six members, other officers as necessary to carry out the
duties thereof.
    Subd. 2.[Repealed, 1975 c 315 s 26]
    Subd. 3. Meetings; expiration of council. A majority of the council members constitutes a
quorum. The council shall meet at the call of its chair, or upon request of any six members. A tape
recording of the meeting with the tape being retained for a one-year period will be available upon
the request and payment of costs to any interested party. The council shall expire and the terms,
compensation, and removal of members shall be as provided in section 15.059, except that the
council shall not expire before June 30, 2003.
History: 1973 c 732 s 7; 1975 c 271 s 6; 1975 c 315 s 14; 1977 c 305 s 45; 1984 c 531 s 6;
1986 c 444; 1993 c 132 s 4; 1997 c 192 s 30; 2001 c 161 s 36; 2003 c 38 s 2

182.657 RULES.
The commissioner shall promulgate, in accordance with chapter 14, such rules as may be
deemed necessary to carry out the responsibilities of this chapter, except for those responsibilities
contained in section 182.655, including rules dealing with the inspection of places of employment.
History: 1973 c 732 s 8; 1982 c 424 s 130; 1983 c 216 art 1 s 88; 1983 c 316 s 29; 1985
c 248 s 70

182.6575 WAIVER PROHIBITED.
No employer may request or require any employee to waive any rights under this chapter or
under occupational safety and health standards adopted pursuant to this chapter.
History: 1983 c 316 s 22

182.658 POSTING REQUIREMENTS.
The commissioner shall issue rules requiring that employers, through posting of notices or
other appropriate means, keep their employees informed of their protections and obligations under
this chapter including the provisions of applicable standards.
History: 1973 c 732 s 9; 1983 c 316 s 23; 1985 c 248 s 70

182.659 INSPECTIONS.
    Subdivision 1. Authority to inspect. In order to carry out the purposes of this chapter, the
commissioner, upon presenting appropriate credentials to the owner, operator, or agent in charge,
is authorized to enter without delay and at reasonable times any place of employment; and to
inspect and investigate during regular working hours and at other reasonable times, and within
reasonable limits and in a reasonable manner, any such place of employment and all pertinent
conditions, structures, machines, apparatus, devices, equipment, and materials therein, and to
question privately any such employer, owner, operator, agent or employee.
    Subd. 1a. Proof of crane operator certification. An individual who is operating a crane on
a worksite shall provide proof of certification required under section 182.6525 upon request by
an investigator.
    Subd. 2. Powers of the commissioner. In making inspections and investigations under this
chapter the commissioner shall have the power to administer oaths, certify as to official acts, take
and cause to be taken depositions of witnesses, issue subpoenas, and compel the attendance of
witnesses and production of papers, books, documents, records and testimony. In case of failure
of any person to comply with any subpoena lawfully issued, or on the refusal of any witness
to produce evidence or to testify to any matter regarding which the person may be lawfully
interrogated, the district court shall, upon application of the commissioner, compel obedience
proceedings for contempt, as in the case of disobedience of the requirements of a subpoena
issued by the court or a refusal to testify therein.
    Subd. 3. Aiding of inspection. Subject to rules issued by the commissioner, a representative
of the employer and a representative authorized by employees shall be given an opportunity to
accompany the commissioner during the physical inspection of any workplace under subdivision
1 for the purpose of aiding such inspection. The authorized representative of employees shall also
be given the opportunity to participate in any conference or discussion held prior to or during any
such inspection. Where there is no authorized employee representative, the commissioner shall
consult with a reasonable number of employees concerning matters of health and safety in the
workplace. No employee as a consequence of aiding such inspection shall lose any privilege or
payment that the employee would otherwise earn, such loss being a discriminatory act subject to
the sanctions contained in section 182.669.
    Subd. 4. Request for inspection. Any employee or representative of employees who believes
that a violation of a safety or health standard exists that threatens physical harm, or that an
imminent danger exists, may request an inspection by giving notice to the commissioner of such
violation or danger. Any such notice shall be reduced to writing, shall set forth with reasonable
particularity the grounds for the notice, and shall be signed by the employee or representative of
employees. A copy of the notice shall be provided the employer or agent no later than the time
of the inspection, except that, upon the request of the person giving such notice, the employee's
name and the names of individual employees referred to therein shall not appear in such copy or
on any record published, released, or made available pursuant to section 182.663, subdivision
4 . If upon receipt of such notification the commissioner determines that there are reasonable
grounds to believe that such violation or danger exists, the commissioner shall make a special
inspection in accordance with the provisions of this section as soon as practicable, to determine if
such danger or violation exists. An inspection conducted pursuant to a complaint may cover all of
the premises of the employer and shall not be limited to that portion of the premises specified in
the notice. If the commissioner determines that there are no reasonable grounds to believe that
such a violation or danger exists the commissioner shall notify the employee or representative of
employees in writing of such determination. Upon such notification the employee or the employee
representative may request the commissioner to reconsider the determination. Upon receiving
such request the commissioner shall review the determination.
    Subd. 5. Reporting of violations. Prior to or during any inspection of a workplace,
any employee or representative of employees employed in such workplace may notify the
commissioner, in writing, of any violation of this chapter which they have reason to believe exists
in such workplace. The commissioner shall, by rule, establish procedures for informal review of
any refusal by a representative of the commissioner to issue a citation with respect to any such
alleged violation and shall furnish the employees or representative of employees requesting such
review a written statement of the reasons for the commissioner's final disposition of the case.
    Subd. 6. Court orders for entrance and inspection. Upon the refusal or anticipated refusal,
based on an employer's refusal to permit entrance on a prior occasion, of an owner, operator, or
agent in charge to permit entry as specified in this chapter, the commissioner may apply for an
order in the district court in the county in which a workplace is located, which compels the
employer to permit the commissioner to enter and inspect the workplace.
    Subd. 7. Advance notice of inspection. Advance notice may not be authorized by the
commissioner except:
(a) in cases of apparent imminent danger to enable the employer to abate the danger as
quickly as possible;
(b) in circumstances where the inspection can most effectively be conducted after regular
business hours or where special preparations are necessary for an inspection;
(c) where necessary to assure the presence of representatives of the employer and employees
or the appropriate personnel needed to aid in the inspection;
(d) in other circumstances where the commissioner determines that the giving of advance
notice would enhance the probability of an effective and thorough inspection; and
(e) the reason for advance notice and the results will be recorded and retained on an
appropriate form.
When advance notice is given to an employer, such notice shall also be given by the
commissioner to the authorized representative of employees if the identity of such representative
is known to the employer.
Violations of this subdivision are subject to the sanctions contained in section 182.667,
subdivision 3 .
    Subd. 8. Protection from subpoena; data. Neither the commissioner nor any employee of
the department, including those employees of the Department of Health providing services to
the Department of Labor and Industry, pursuant to section 182.67, subdivision 1, is subject to
subpoena for purposes of inquiry into any occupational safety and health inspection except in
enforcement proceedings brought under this chapter. Data that identify individuals who provide
data to the department as part of an investigation conducted under this chapter shall be private.
History: 1973 c 732 s 10; 1983 c 216 art 1 s 88; 1983 c 316 s 29; 1985 c 130 s 10; 1985 c
248 s 70; 1986 c 444; 1987 c 46 s 1,2; 2001 c 202 s 11; 2005 c 87 s 2

NOTE: Subdivision 1a, as added by Laws 2005, chapter 87, section 2, is effective July 1,
2007. Laws 2005, chapter 87, section 3.

182.66 CITATIONS.
    Subdivision 1. Written citations. After an inspection or investigation, if the commissioner
believes that an employer has violated a requirement of section 182.653, or any standard, rule or
order adopted pursuant to this chapter, the commissioner shall, with reasonable promptness and in
no event later than six months following the inspection, issue a written citation to the employer by
certified mail. The citation shall describe with particularity the nature of the violation, including
a reference to the provision of the act, standard, rule or order alleged to have been violated. In
addition, the citation shall fix a reasonable time for the abatement of the violation.
    Subd. 2. Posting requirement. Each citation issued under this section, and the penalty
proposed to be assessed under section 182.666, or a copy or copies thereof, shall be prominently
posted, as prescribed in rules issued by the commissioner, at or near each place a violation
referred to in the citation occurred. Each citation and proposed penalty shall be posted for a
minimum period of 20 days.
    Subd. 3. De minimis violations. The commissioner may prescribe procedures for the
issuance of a notice in lieu of a citation with respect to de minimis violations which have no direct
or immediate relationship to safety and health.
History: 1973 c 732 s 11; 1975 c 375 s 2; 1983 c 316 s 24; 1985 c 248 s 70; 2003 c 38 s 3

182.661 ENFORCEMENT.
    Subdivision 1. Notice of penalty; contesting a penalty. If, after an inspection or
investigation, the commissioner issues a citation under section 182.66, the commissioner shall
notify the employer by certified mail of the penalty, if any, proposed to be assessed under section
182.666 and that the employer has 20 calendar days within which to file a notice of contest and
certification of service, on a form provided by the commissioner, indicating that the employer
wishes to contest the citation, type of violation, proposed assessment of penalty, or the period of
time fixed in the citation given for correction of violation. A copy of the citation and the proposed
assessment of penalty shall also be mailed to the authorized employee representative including, in
the case of the death of an employee, the next of kin. If within 20 calendar days from the receipt
of the penalty notice issued by the commissioner the employer fails to file the notice of contest,
and no notice of contest is filed by any employee or authorized representative of employees under
subdivision 3 within such time, the citation and assessment, as proposed, shall be deemed a final
order of the commissioner and not subject to review by any court or agency.
    Subd. 2. Failure to correct a violation. If the commissioner has reason to believe that an
employer has failed to correct a violation for which a citation has been issued within the period
permitted for its correction, which period shall not begin to run until the entry of a final order by
the commissioner in case of any review proceedings under this section initiated by the employer
in good faith and not solely for delay or avoidance of penalties, the commissioner shall notify the
employer by certified mail of such failure and of the penalty proposed to be assessed under section
182.666 by reason of such failure, and that the employer has 20 calendar days within which to
file a notice of contest and certification of service, on a form provided by the commissioner,
indicating that the employer wishes to contest the commissioner's notification or the proposed
assessment of penalty. If, within 20 calendar days from the receipt of penalty notification issued
by the commissioner, the employer fails to file the notice of contest indicating that the employer
intends to contest the notification or proposed assessment of penalty, the penalty notification and
assessment, as proposed, shall be deemed a final order of the commissioner and not subject
to review by any court or agency.
    Subd. 2a. Action in district court. The commissioner may bring an action in district court
for injunctive or other appropriate relief including monetary damages if the employer fails to
comply with a final order of the commissioner.
    Subd. 3. Contested citations or penalties. If an employer notifies the commissioner that the
employer intends to contest the citation or the proposed assessment of penalty or the employee
or the authorized employee representative notifies the commissioner that the employee intends
to contest the time fixed for abatement in the citation issued under section 182.66, the citation,
the type of alleged violation, the proposed penalty, or notification issued under subdivision 1 or
2, the commissioner shall resolve the matter by settlement agreement, petition the board for a
decision based on stipulated facts, or refer the matter to an administrative law judge for a hearing
in accordance with the applicable provisions of chapter 14. Where the commissioner refers
a matter for a contested case hearing, the administrative law judge shall make findings of fact,
conclusions of law, and any appropriate orders. The determinations shall be the final decision
of the commissioner and may be appealed to the board by any party. The rules of procedure
prescribed by the commissioner shall provide affected employees or authorized representatives of
affected employees an opportunity to participate as parties to hearings under this subdivision.
Upon receipt of notice of hearing under this subdivision, the employer shall serve such notice
as required by rule.
    Subd. 3a. Posting and service requirements. As prescribed in rules issued by the
commissioner, each notice of intent to contest the citation, proposed assessment of penalty, or
period of time fixed in the citation for correction of the violation shall be prominently posted at or
near each place a violation referred to in the citation occurred or served on affected employers,
employees, and authorized employee representatives. If the contesting employer, employee, or
authorized employee representative fails to post or serve the notice of intent to contest the citation,
the proposed assessment of penalty, or the period of time fixed for correction of the violation
within the time prescribed in rules issued by the commissioner, the administrative law judge may
render a default judgment in favor of the commissioner.
    Subd. 3b. Service of notices. The contesting party shall serve a copy of the notice of contest
and notice to employees, on forms provided by the commissioner, upon unrepresented affected
employees and authorized employee representatives on or before the date the notice of contest is
filed with the commissioner. For purposes of this section, filing may be accomplished by United
States mail addressed to the commissioner. Filing is timely if the document is deposited in the
United States mail and postmarked within the time fixed for filing or otherwise timely received
by the commissioner.
    Subd. 4. Relation to federal enforcement provisions. Enforcement of this section shall
continue to be at least as effective as the enforcement as provided for in the federal Occupational
Safety and Health Act of 1970.
    Subd. 5. Settlement. Where the parties resolve a contested matter by settlement agreement,
the contesting party shall serve a copy of the agreement upon affected employees and authorized
employee representatives. Affected employees and authorized employee representatives may
file, with the commissioner, an objection to the settlement agreement. The objections must be
filed within ten calendar days after service of the agreement. Upon receipt of an objection to a
settlement agreement, the commissioner may refer the agreement to the Office of Administrative
Hearings for assignment to an administrative law judge who shall give consideration to the
objection before approving or disapproving the agreement. If no timely objection is made, the
settlement agreement becomes a final order of the commissioner.
    Subd. 6. Complaint and answer. The commissioner shall serve a complaint on all parties no
later than 90 calendar days after receiving a notice of contest. The contesting party shall serve an
answer on all the parties within 20 calendar days after service of the complaint.
History: 1973 c 732 s 12; 1975 c 271 s 6; 1975 c 375 s 3,4; 1Sp1981 c 4 art 2 s 16; 1982
c 424 s 130; 1985 c 130 s 11,12; 1986 c 444; 1987 c 46 s 3; 1991 c 233 s 66,68-74; 1997 c 81
s 1; 2000 c 488 art 2 s 12

182.662 PROCEDURES TO COUNTERACT SERIOUS AND IMMINENT DANGERS.
    Subdivision 1. Temporary order. If an inspector finds any condition or practice in any place
of employment which presents a substantial probability that the condition or practice could result
in death or serious physical harm, the inspector shall issue an order, after consultation either by
phone or in person with the commissioner and upon the commissioner's recommendation, which
prohibits the employment or continuing operational process until such steps as may be necessary
are taken to correct or remove the situation. This order shall not be effective for a period longer
than three days.
    Subd. 2. District court jurisdiction. The district courts shall have jurisdiction, upon petition
of the commissioner, to restrain any conditions or practices in any place of employment which
are such that a danger exists which could reasonably be expected to cause death or serious
physical harm immediately or before the imminence of such danger can be eliminated through
the enforcement procedures otherwise provided by this chapter. Any order issued under this
section may require such steps to be taken as may be necessary to avoid, correct, or remove
such imminent danger and prohibit the employment or presence of any individual in locations
or under conditions where such imminent danger exists, except individuals whose presence is
necessary to avoid, correct, or remove such imminent danger or to maintain the capacity of
a continuous process operation to resume normal operations without a complete cessation of
operations, or where a cessation of operations is necessary, to permit such to be accomplished in
a safe and orderly manner.
    Subd. 3. Injunctive relief; temporary restraining orders. Upon the filing of any such
petition the district court shall have jurisdiction to grant such injunctive relief or temporary
restraining order pending the outcome of an enforcement proceeding pursuant to this chapter.
The proceeding shall be as provided by the Rules of Civil Procedure of the district courts, except
that no temporary restraining order issued without notice shall be effective for a period longer
than five days.
    Subd. 4. Venue. The venue for actions brought under this section shall be any county
in which the commissioner has an office, or in which the place of employment, where such
a danger exists, is located.
    Subd. 5. Notice to affected parties. Whenever and as soon as an inspector concludes
that conditions or practices described in subdivision 1 exist in any place of employment, the
inspector shall inform the affected employees and employers of the danger and that the inspector
is recommending to the commissioner that relief be sought.
    Subd. 6. Writ of mandamus. If the commissioner arbitrarily or capriciously fails to seek
relief under this section, any employee who may be injured by reason of such failure, or the
representative of such employees, may bring an action against the commissioner in district court
for a writ of mandamus to compel the commissioner to seek such an order and for such further
relief as may be appropriate.
History: 1973 c 732 s 13; 1983 c 216 art 1 s 88; 1983 c 316 s 29; 1986 c 444

182.6625 HONORING DECEASED WORKERS.
At the request of the family of a worker involved in a fatal accident killed while working on a
public construction project, the commissioner shall erect a plaque in honor of the deceased worker.
The plaque shall be located on the completed project and be reasonably visible to the public.
History: 1991 c 192 s 1

182.663 STATISTICS AND RECORD KEEPING.
    Subdivision 1. Statistics program. In order to further the purposes of this chapter, the
commissioner shall develop and maintain an effective program of collection, compilation, and
analysis of occupational safety and health statistics. Such programs may cover all employments
within the scope of this chapter. The commissioner shall compile accurate statistics on work
deaths, injuries and illnesses which shall include all deaths and all disabling, serious, or significant
injuries and illnesses, whether or not involving loss of time from work, other than minor
injuries requiring only first aid treatment and which do not involve medical treatment, loss of
consciousness, restrictions of work or motion, or transfer to another job. Such programs shall
be developed so that the state may coordinate and cooperate with a federal data collection and
record-keeping program.
    Subd. 2. Employer records. Each employer shall make, keep and preserve, and make
available to the commissioner such records regarding the employer's activities relating to
this chapter as the commissioner may prescribe by rules as necessary or appropriate for the
enforcement of this chapter or for the development of information regarding the causes and
prevention of occupational accidents and illnesses. The records which the commissioner shall
require the employer to make, keep and preserve shall be at least as effective as those required by
the United States Department of Labor.
    Subd. 3. Records on hazardous substances and harmful physical agents. The
commissioner shall adopt rules requiring employers to maintain accurate records of employee
exposures to hazardous substances or harmful physical agents which are required to be monitored
under this chapter. The rules shall provide employees or their representatives with an opportunity
to have access to the records. The rules shall provide employees or their representatives with
an opportunity to observe the monitoring or measuring and to have access to the records and
reports of the monitoring and measuring. In order to carry out the provisions of this section, the
rules may include provisions requiring employers to conduct periodic inspections. An employer
shall promptly notify an employee who has been or is being exposed to hazardous substances
or harmful physical agents in concentrations or at levels which exceed those prescribed by an
applicable occupational safety and health standard adopted under this chapter, and shall inform
any employee who is being exposed of the corrective action being taken.
    Subd. 4. Reports. The commissioner is authorized to compile, analyze, and publish annually,
either in summary or detailed form, all reports or information obtained under this section, and
to cooperate with the United States Department of Labor in obtaining national summaries of
occupational deaths, injuries and illnesses. The commissioner shall preserve the anonymity of
each employee with respect to whom medical reports or information is obtained.
    Subd. 5. Standards for collection of information. Any information obtained by the
commissioner under this chapter shall be obtained with a minimum burden upon employers,
especially those operating small business. Unnecessary duplication of efforts in obtaining
information shall be reduced to the maximum extent feasible.
History: 1973 c 732 s 14; 1983 c 216 art 1 s 88; 1983 c 316 s 25,29; 1985 c 248 s 70;
1986 c 444

182.664 OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH REVIEW BOARD.
    Subdivision 1. Creation and makeup of board. There is hereby created the Occupational
Safety and Health Review Board, consisting of three members to be appointed by the governor.
The governor shall designate one member to serve as chair. The review board members shall be
chosen so that one shall represent management; one shall represent labor; and one shall represent
the general public. The members shall be chosen from persons qualified by education, training
or experience to carry out the functions of the board. Service on such board for a term shall not
render a person ineligible for reappointment.
    Subd. 1a. Section 15.0575 applies. The membership terms, compensation, removal of
members, and filling of vacancies on the board shall be as provided in section 15.0575.
    Subd. 2.[Repealed, 1991 c 233 s 110]
    Subd. 3. Powers and duties of board. The review board shall review and decide appeals
from final decisions and orders of the commissioner, including decisions issued by administrative
law judges, petitions to vacate final orders of the commissioner, and with the agreement of the
parties, may review and decide petitions for decisions based on stipulated facts. The powers of
the board in the conduct of hearings, including the power to sign decisions and orders, may be
delegated to a member, members, or the board chair. The board may schedule a hearing for
purposes of taking oral argument. A notice stating the time and place of the hearing must be given
ten days in advance of such a hearing to the parties and copies of the notice of such hearing shall
be served by the employer as rules of the board shall require. The hearings shall be open to the
public and the board's decisions and orders shall be maintained and available for examination.
    Subd. 4. Department to assist board. It shall be the duty of the department to provide such
equipment, supplies, clerical assistance, and other needs, as the board may reasonably require.
    Subd. 5. Authority of board; standard of review. For the purpose of carrying out its
functions under this chapter, two members of the board shall constitute a quorum and official
action can be taken only on the affirmative vote of at least two members. The decisions and
orders of an administrative law judge, or final orders of the commissioner, may be appealed to
the review board by the employer, employee, or their authorized representatives or any party,
within 30 days following service by mail of the administrative law judge's decision and order,
or final order of the commissioner. The review board shall have authority to revise, confirm,
or reverse the decision and order of administrative law judges, or to vacate and remand final
orders of the commissioner. The board shall only vacate a final order of the commissioner upon
a showing of good cause. For purposes of this section, good cause is limited to fraud, mistake
of fact or law, or newly discovered evidence.
History: 1973 c 732 s 15; 1975 c 271 s 6; 1976 c 134 s 48,49; 1982 c 424 s 130; 1983 c 216
art 1 s 88; 1983 c 305 s 21; 1983 c 316 s 29; 1984 c 640 s 32; 1986 c 444; 1991 c 233 s 75,76

182.665 JUDICIAL REVIEW.
Any person aggrieved by a final order of the board in a contested case, or by any standard,
rule, or order promulgated by the commissioner, is entitled to judicial review thereof in
accordance with the applicable provisions of chapter 14.
History: 1973 c 732 s 16; 1975 c 271 s 6; 1982 c 424 s 130; 1985 c 248 s 70

182.666 PENALTIES.
    Subdivision 1. Willful or repeated violations. Any employer who willfully or repeatedly
violates the requirements of section 182.653, or any standard, rule, or order adopted under the
authority of the commissioner as provided in this chapter, may be assessed a fine not to exceed
$70,000 for each violation. The minimum fine for a willful violation is $5,000.
    Subd. 2. Serious violations. Any employer who has received a citation for a serious violation
of its duties under section 182.653, or any standard, rule, or order adopted under the authority of
the commissioner as provided in this chapter, shall be assessed a fine not to exceed $7,000 for
each violation. If a serious violation under section 182.653, subdivision 2, causes or contributes to
the death of an employee, the employer shall be assessed a fine of up to $25,000.
    Subd. 2a. Citations connected to the death of an employee. (a) Notwithstanding any other
provision of this section, if any (1) serious, willful, or repeated violation other than a violation
of section 182.653, subdivision 2; or (2) failure to correct a violation pursuant to subdivision 4
causes or contributes to the death of an employee, the minimum total nonnegotiable fine which
shall be assessed for all citations connected to the death of an employee is $50,000 if there is
a willful or repeated violation or $25,000 if there is no willful or repeated violation, except as
provided in paragraph (b).
(b) If there is no willful or repeated violation and the employer has fewer than 50 employees,
the employer shall be assessed an initial fine of $5,000 and an additional fine of $5,000 for each of
the following four years. The commissioner may elect to waive the $5,000 fine for any of the
following four years if the employer received no citations in the preceding calendar year.
(c) If the business or enterprise employs fewer than 50 employees, this subdivision does not
apply to the death of an employee who owns a controlling interest in the business or enterprise,
except if the commissioner determines that a fine shall be assessed.
    Subd. 3. Nonserious violations. Any employer who has received a citation for a violation of
its duties under section 182.653, subdivisions 2 to 4, where the violation is specifically determined
not to be of a serious nature as provided in section 182.651, subdivision 12, may be assessed a
fine of up to $7,000 for each violation.
    Subd. 4. Failure to correct a violation. Any employer who fails to correct a violation
for which a citation has been issued under section 182.66 within the period permitted for its
correction, which period shall not begin to run until the date of the final order of the commissioner
in the case of any review proceedings under this chapter initiated by the employer in good faith
and not solely for delay or avoidance of penalties, may be assessed a fine of not more than $7,000
for each day during which the failure or violation continues.
    Subd. 5. Posting violations. Any employer who violates any of the posting requirements, as
prescribed under this chapter, except those prescribed under section 182.661, subdivision 3a, shall
be assessed a fine of up to $7,000 for each violation.
    Subd. 5a. Waiver of rights violations. Any employer who knowingly violates section
182.6575 shall be assessed a fine of up to $7,000 for each violation. The employer shall also be
liable to each aggrieved employee for civil punitive damages of $400.
    Subd. 6. Authority to assess fines; considerations. Only the commissioner shall have
authority to assess all proposed fines provided in this section, giving due consideration to the
appropriateness of the fine with respect to the size of the business of the employer, the gravity of
the violation, the good faith of the employer, and the history of previous violations.
    Subd. 7. Payment of fines; unpaid fines. Fines imposed under this chapter shall be paid to
the commissioner for deposit in the special compensation fund and may be recovered in a civil
action in the name of the department brought in the district court of the county where the violation
is alleged to have occurred or the district court where the commissioner has an office. Unpaid
fines shall be increased to 125 percent of the original assessed amount if not paid within 60 days
after the fine becomes a final order. After that 60 days, unpaid fines shall accrue an additional
penalty of ten percent per month compounded monthly until the fine is paid in full or until the
fine has accrued to 300 percent of the original assessed amount.
History: 1973 c 732 s 17; 1983 c 216 art 1 s 88; 1983 c 316 s 26,29; 1986 c 444; 1987 c 46
s 4-8; 1988 c 620 s 1-7; 1991 c 233 s 77-82; 1992 c 513 art 3 s 40,41; 1997 c 180 s 4; 2000 c
488 art 2 s 13,14; 2003 c 38 s 4,5

182.667 CRIMINAL PENALTIES.
    Subdivision 1. False statements. Whoever knowingly makes any false statement,
representation, or certification in any application, record, report, plan, or other document filed
or required to be maintained pursuant to this chapter shall, upon conviction, be guilty of a gross
misdemeanor and be punished by a fine of not more than $20,000, or by imprisonment for not
more than six months, or by both.
    Subd. 2. Willful or repeated violations. Any employer who willfully or repeatedly violates
the requirements of section 182.653, any safety and health standard promulgated under this
chapter, any existing rule promulgated by the department, may be punished by a fine of not more
than $70,000 or by imprisonment for not more than six months or by both; except, that if the
conviction is for a violation committed after a first conviction of such person, punishment shall be
a fine of not more than $100,000 or by imprisonment for not more than one year, or by both.
    Subd. 3. Advance notice of inspection. Any person who gives advance notice of any
inspection to be conducted under the authority of this chapter, without the consent of the
commissioner or designees shall, upon conviction, be assessed a fine of up to $3,000 or by
imprisonment for not more than six months or by both.
History: 1973 c 732 s 18; 1983 c 216 art 1 s 88; 1983 c 316 s 29; 1984 c 628 art 3 s 11;
1985 c 248 s 70; 1986 c 444; 2003 c 128 art 11 s 10

182.668 PROTECTION OF TRADE SECRETS.
    Subdivision 1. Registration. Subject to the restrictions on the withholding of information
pursuant to Minnesota Rules, part 5205.0010, a manufacturer or employer who believes that all
or a part of the information required under section 182.653, subdivision 4a, 4b, 4c, 4e, or 4f or
requested under section 182.654, subdivision 10 is a trade secret as defined in section 325C.01,
subdivision 5 , may register the information with the commissioner as trade secret information.
    Subd. 2. Classification of data. Information that has been registered pursuant to subdivision
1 shall be classified as nonpublic or private data as defined in section 13.02, subdivisions 9 and 12.
All other information reported to or otherwise obtained by the commissioner or a
representative in connection with any inspection or proceeding under this chapter which contains
or which might reveal a trade secret shall be classified as nonpublic or private data as defined
in section 13.02, subdivisions 9 and 12. Information classified as nonpublic or private may be
disclosed to other officers or employees concerned with carrying out this chapter or when relevant
in any proceeding under this chapter or when otherwise required in order to comply with federal
law or regulation but only to the extent required by the federal law or regulation.
    Subd. 3. Determination by commissioner. On the request of a manufacturer, employer,
employee or employee representative, the commissioner shall determine whether information
registered pursuant to subdivision 1 or otherwise reported to or obtained by the commissioner
is a trade secret as defined in section 325C.01, subdivision 5. In making a determination the
commissioner shall also determine whether the information should in any event be disclosed in
order to properly protect the health and safety of employees.
An employer or manufacturer that disagrees with a determination under this subdivision may
pursue its remedies as provided in chapter 325C or other relevant law.
    Subd. 4. Orders. The commissioner shall issue orders as may be appropriate to protect the
classification of trade secrets and may, at the request of an employer, in inspections of trade
secrets areas or in discussions involving trade secrets, allow an authorized representative of
employees to be replaced by an employee authorized by the employer. The commissioner may
also allow the employer to screen out trade secret details where photographs are deemed essential
to the investigation and to restrict samples to be taken where trade secrets might be exposed.
    Subd. 5. Restrictions on disclosure. Information provided to an employee or designated
representative pursuant to section 182.653, subdivisions 4a, 4b, 4c, 4e, or 182.654, subdivision
10 which has been determined by the commissioner to be a trade secret shall not be disclosed
to anyone except as required for medical treatment or as otherwise required in this chapter.
An employee, designated representative or other person who knowingly discloses information
in violation of this subdivision or any person knowingly receiving the information is subject to
the provisions of section 609.52 relating to the theft of trade secrets and to the civil liabilities
provided by chapter 325C or other relevant law.
History: 1973 c 732 s 19; 1983 c 316 s 27; 1985 c 130 s 13

182.669 DISCRIMINATION.
    Subdivision 1. Complaints alleging discriminatory acts; private actions. Any employee
believed to have been discharged or otherwise discriminated against by any person because
the employee has exercised any right authorized under the provisions of sections 182.65
to 182.674, may, within 30 days after the alleged discrimination occurs, file a complaint
with the commissioner alleging the discriminatory act. Upon receipt of the complaint, the
commissioner shall cause an investigation to be made as the commissioner deems appropriate. If
upon such investigation the commissioner determines that a discriminatory act was committed
against an employee, the commissioner shall refer the matter to the Office of Administrative
Hearings for a hearing before an administrative law judge pursuant to the provisions of chapter
14. Communications between discrimination complainants and attorneys representing the
commissioner are privileged as would be communications between an attorney and a client. For
purposes of this section, the commissioner shall file with the administrative law judge and serve
upon the respondent, by registered or certified mail, a complaint and written notice of hearing.
The respondent shall file with the administrative law judge and serve upon the commissioner,
by registered or certified mail, an answer within 20 days after service of the complaint. In
all cases where the administrative law judge finds that an employee has been discharged or
otherwise discriminated against by any person because the employee has exercised any right
authorized under sections 182.65 to 182.674, the administrative law judge may order payment to
the employee of back pay and compensatory damages. The administrative law judge may also
order rehiring of the employee; reinstatement of the employee's former position, fringe benefits,
and seniority rights; and other appropriate relief. In addition, the administrative law judge may
order payment to the commissioner or to the employee of costs, disbursements, witness fees, and
attorney fees. Interest shall accrue on, and be added to, the unpaid balance of an administrative
law judge's order from the date the order is signed by the administrative law judge until it is paid,
at the annual rate provided in section 549.09, subdivision 1, paragraph (c). An employee may
bring a private action in the district court for relief under this section.
    Subd. 2.[Repealed, 1975 c 343 s 2]
    Subd. 3.[Repealed, 1975 c 343 s 2]
    Subd. 4.[Repealed, 1975 c 343 s 2]
    Subd. 5.[Repealed, 1975 c 343 s 2]
    Subd. 6.[Repealed, 1975 c 343 s 2]
History: 1973 c 732 s 20; 1975 c 343 s 1; 1985 c 130 s 14; 1986 c 444; 1987 c 46 s 9; 1989
c 249 s 5; 1991 c 233 s 83; 2000 c 323 s 1

182.67 ADMINISTRATIVE AUTHORITY.
    Subdivision 1. Department's authority; cooperation with other departments. The
department has sole authority and responsibility for the administration and enforcement of this
chapter. The commissioner will consult with the Department of Health in matters related to
occupational health and will through written agreement determine those reasonably appropriate
services which the Department of Health will provide in order to effectuate the provisions of this
chapter. Any other department or official of this state or political subdivision thereof which
would in any way affect the administration or enforcement of this chapter shall cooperate and
coordinate all such activities with the department to assure orderly and efficient administration
and enforcement of this chapter.
    Subd. 2. Contracts and cooperation with federal government. The department is
authorized and empowered to make all contracts and to do all things necessary to cooperate with
the United States government, and to qualify for, accept and disburse any grant from the United
States government intended for the administration of this chapter.
    Subd. 3. Liaison officer. The commissioner shall designate a liaison officer from the
department whose duty it shall be to insure the maximum possible consistency in procedures
and to insure minimum duplication between the department and the other agencies that may be
involved in occupational safety and health.
History: 1973 c 732 s 21; 1983 c 216 art 1 s 88; 1983 c 316 s 29; 1986 c 444

182.671 WORKERS' COMPENSATION.
Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to supersede or in any manner affect the workers'
compensation law of this state.
History: 1973 c 732 s 22; 1975 c 359 s 23; 1983 c 216 art 1 s 88; 1983 c 316 s 29

182.672 REPRESENTATION IN CIVIL LITIGATION.
The attorney general shall represent the commissioner in all civil actions arising under
this chapter.
History: 1973 c 732 s 23; 1983 c 216 art 1 s 88; 1983 c 316 s 29

182.673 TRAINING AND EDUCATION.
The commissioner shall promulgate rules for the establishment of programs for the
education of employers and employees in the recognition, avoidance, and prevention of unsafe or
unhealthful working conditions in places of employment covered by this chapter, and consult with
and advise employers and employees, and organizations representing employers and employees,
as to effective means of preventing occupational injuries and illnesses.
History: 1973 c 732 s 24; 1983 c 216 art 1 s 88; 1983 c 316 s 29; 1985 c 248 s 70

182.6731 SAFETY AWARDS.
The commissioner may present awards to businesses that have excellent safety records. The
award shall be presented jointly to the company and its employees. The commissioner may solicit
advice on what businesses shall receive the awards from representatives of labor and business.
History: 1990 c 508 s 4

182.674 REPORTS.
    Subdivision 1. To federal Department of Labor. The commissioner shall make all reports
to the United States Department of Labor which are required by the assistant secretary of labor.
    Subd. 2. Employer reports. Employers shall make all reports to the commissioner and to the
assistant secretary of the United States Department of Labor as are required.
History: 1973 c 732 s 25

182.675 RELATIONSHIP TO COLLECTIVE BARGAINING.
Although not required, an employee or employer may seek to resolve any dispute arising
under this chapter through resolution procedures provided by any applicable labor agreement or,
if there is no applicable provision of a labor agreement, through a dispute resolution procedure
to be developed by the commissioner. The employee is not deemed to have waived or lost any
substantive or procedural rights under this chapter due to resort to the resolution methods and
may pursue all legal remedies under this chapter without any prejudice due to the results of these
resolution methods. Nothing in this chapter is deemed to prevent the creation of additional rights
or remedies for employees pursuant to a labor agreement or personnel rule.
History: 1983 c 316 s 28; 1984 c 640 s 32; 1996 c 305 art 2 s 35

182.676 SAFETY COMMITTEES.
Every public or private employer of more than 25 employees shall establish and administer
a joint labor-management safety committee.
Every public or private employer of 25 or fewer employees shall establish and administer a
safety committee if:
(1) the employer has a lost workday cases incidence rate in the top ten percent of all rates for
employers in the same industry; or
(2) the workers' compensation premium classification assigned to the greatest portion of the
payroll for the employer has a pure premium rate as reported by the Workers' Compensation
Rating Association in the top 25 percent of premium rates for all classes.
A safety committee must hold regularly scheduled meetings unless otherwise provided in
a collective bargaining agreement.
Employee safety committee members must be selected by employees. An employer that fails
to establish or administer a safety committee as required by this section may be cited by the
commissioner. A citation is punishable as a serious violation under section 182.666.
The commissioner may adopt rules necessary to implement this section.
History: 1995 c 231 art 2 s 101; 1997 c 7 art 5 s 18