Workplace Safety

OSHA Revised Exit Route Standard

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has rewritten the requirements for exiting buildings during an emergency in a user-friendly format that is easier to understand. The revised exit routes, emergency action plans, and fire prevention plans standard was adopted by Minnesota OSHA.

The requirements for exit routes have been rewritten in simple, easy-to-understand terms. For example, Means of Egress is now Exit Routes. The text has been reorganized and inconsistencies and duplicative requirements have been removed. The revised rule has fewer sub-paragraphs and a smaller number of cross-references to other OSHA standards than the previous version.

To help evaluate a worksite and answer questions, visit OSHA's eTool on evacuation plans and procedures. Another great resource for assistance and information on fire protection is the State Fire Marshal's website.

Center of Disease Control and Prevention

• Protecting Yourself from Floods: CDC Safety Guidelines

OSHA Fact Sheets

• Filling, Moving and Placing Sandbags (PDF)
• Flood Cleanup (PDF)
• Cleanup Hazards (PDF)

Admin Risk Management

• Additional Flood Information on the Insurance page

Resources

• Printing instructions for the SEMA4 OSHA 300A (PDF)
• OSHA Recordkeeping Overview
• MN OSHA Recordkeeping Overview

A job hazard analysis is a procedure which helps integrate accepted safety and health principles and practices into a particular job or operation. This is done by examining each basic step of a job and identifying potential hazards to determine the safest way to do the job. Other names for this procedure include job safety analysis and job hazard breakdown.

An effective job hazard analysis program can increase employer and employee safety and health awareness, decrease accidents and near-misses, and improve working conditions. We have more information to help you complete a job hazard analysis. Get started by reviewing the Job Hazard Analysis page.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Standard, 29 CFR 1910.147, The Control of Hazardous Energy, otherwise known as Lockout/Tagout (LO/TO) covers the servicing and maintenance of machines and equipment in which unexpected energization or start-up, or release of stored energy could cause injury. This standard establishes minimum performance requirements for the control of hazardous energy.

Major Components of the LO/TO Standard

• Develop LO/TO procedures specific for each type of machine or equipment and providing the appropriate locking and tagging devices.
• Provide training and communication to authorized, affected and other employees regarding the energy control program, responsibilities and exposure levels. Certification of training shall be documented.
• Complete annual evaluation of program effectiveness, including the review of lockout procedures and changes in equipment, an inspection evaluating each authorized employee's performance of responsibilities under the energy control procedures, and maintenance of certified training records.

OSHA's standards regarding electrical safety work, (1910.331, 1910.335) are an additional resource.

Sample Lockout/Tagout Plan

The sample lockout/tagout plan provides employers with an easy-to-use format for developing a written LO/TO plan, which is required by the LO/TO standard. Each employer will need to adjust or adapt the model for their specific use.

This information is not considered a substitute for the OSHA Act or any provisions of OSHA standards. It provides general guidance on a particular standard-related topic but should not be considered a definitive interpretation for compliance with OSHA requirements. Employers should consult the OSHA standard in its entirety for specific compliance requirements.

Additional Information Regarding LO/TO Compliance

• OSHA LO/TO Standard
• MN OSHA Instruction STD 1-7.3A (PDF) - provides instruction to MN OSHA investigators on uniform enforcement of the LO/TO standard
• Sample Lockout/Tagout Plan (Microsoft Word)
• OSHA Lockout/Tagout Interactive Training Program

Visit the MnSAFE website for more information about our statewide injury reduction initiative.

Information about fleet and motor vehicle safety is available from:

• Admin Risk Management's Insurance page
• OSHA's Motor Vehicle Safety page
• Traffic Safety's page

The OSHA Standard on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), 1910.132, details the employer's responsibility in providing appropriate equipment for employees. Employees can be exposed to occupational hazards that are capable of causing injury or impairment through absorption, inhalation or physical contact.

OSHA requires the use of PPE to reduce employees' exposures to hazards when engineering and administrative controls are not feasible or effective in reducing exposures to acceptable levels.

The following forms are available to assist the employer in compliance with the standard. (Note: forms are in Microsoft Word format).

• Form A - Helps the individual conducting the PPE assessment for the particular job, position or department. The form offers assistance to the assessor by providing examples of hazards that are present or are likely to be present as part of the assessment. In addition to the on-site assessment, reports such as incident logs, first reports of injury forms, first aid logs and previous OSHA 200 logs and current OSHA 300 logs should be included as part of the evaluation. The assessor should document any related hazards.
  
  
• Form B - Assists the employer in documenting the selected type of PPE and sizes available for employees. Employees must be involved in the selection of appropriate PPE. Remember, one size does not fit all
  
  
• Form C - Training documentation tool. Training is required for each employee who will wear PPE. As part of the training, each employee must demonstrate an understanding of the training and the ability to use PPE properly. Retraining is necessary when changes in the workplace or PPE render previous training obsolete and when an employee's knowledge or skill of use of PPE is observed as inadequate.
  
  
• Form D - Provides the necessary documentation for a written certification that identifies the workplace evaluated, dates of assessment and the name of person certifying that the evaluation has been performed.

Always refer to the standard for 100 percent compliance information. The forms can be used for assistance and general guidance, but should not be considered as a definitive interpretation for compliance with OSHA requirements. Please consult other OSHA Standards on PPE, including, but not limited to Eye and Face Protection (1910.133), Respiratory Protection (1910.134), Head Protection (1910.134), Occupational Foot Protection (1910.136), Electrical Protective Devices (1910.137), Hand Protection (1910.138), and Bloodborne Pathogens (1910.1030).

• OSHA Website for Personal Protective Equipment

Labor Management Safety Committees can be an effective safety programming tool if barriers are eliminated and the committee and its members have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities.

Safety Committee Resources

• An employer's guide to developing a labor/management safety committee (PDF) - See pages 17 through 19 for a Safety Committee Self-Evaluation Checklist
• Mission Statement (Microsoft Word)
• Committee Bylaws (Microsoft Word)
• Norms of Behavior (Microsoft Word)
• Letters of Understanding (Microsoft Word)

Guidelines for Effective Safety Meetings

• Guidelines for Effective Safety Meetings (Microsoft Word)

The need for and requirements of Labor Management Safety Committees are also detailed in the following Labor Contracts and Plans:

• AFSME Contract: Article 31 (2023–2025) (PDF)
• MAPE Agreement: Article 22 (2023–2025) (PDF)
• Other Labor Contracts and Plans

More information on safety committees and their requirements can be found in Minnesota Statute 182.676 and Minnesota Rule 5208.

Safety posters serve as a visual reminder of workplace safety hazards and act as an effective control measure.

Download safety posters pertaining to a number of different workplace safety topics at mn.gov/mnsafe/posters.html.

The Federal OSHA Workplace Violence website provides information on violence in the workplace, assessing hazards in different settings and developing prevention plans for workplaces.

MN OSHA's Workplace Violence website provides information on violence in the workplace, sample plans, and resources.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) Workplace Violence website provides information on preventing violence in different locations and occupations.

The Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) School Safety website provides a comprehensive template of an all hazards emergency plan for schools.

This game was developed by the Minnesota Department of Commerce Weights and Measures Division, and published by the Minnesota Department of Administration Risk Management Division. It was created to provide trainers an alternative route to engage trainees during the annual refresher employee right to know training. 

This game is meant to be used for reviewing Employee-Right-to-Know (ERTK) categories with employees who have already received initial safety and ERTK training on the specific hazards they face in their work environments. It is not meant to replace initial safety and ERTK training. 

• Luck of the Draw: An Employee-Right-to-Know (ERTK) Review Game (PPT)
• Luck of the Draw Rules and Scoring (PDF)