Highpoint EHS can conduct trainings onsite, at your facility, or recored a custom training for you to view online, on-demand. Topics range from Right to Know, AWAIR, Emergency Action, Fire Prevention, Lockout Ragout, Fall Protection, Respiratory Protection, Confined Space, Just to name a few. We can also Certify on equipment like Forklifts and Man-lifts.

First-Aid, CPR, and AED certifications are also available.

We mainly service the greater Twin Cities Area and Western Wisconsin. We also can provide a majority of our services remotely across all 50 states.

Yes. Minnesota operates an OSHA-approved State Plan. MNOSHA covers most private-sector workplaces in the state and also covers state and local government employers. Federal OSHA generally keeps jurisdiction over federal employees, the U.S. Postal Service, certain agricultural operations, offshore maritime work, and some other limited areas.

AWAIR stands for A Workplace Accident and Injury Reduction program. It is Minnesota’s required written safety-and-health program for employers in designated industries. Coverage is based on NAICS codes listed in Minnesota Rules 5208.1500—typically industries whose injury incidence or severity is above the Minnesota average. The list is updated periodically (currently on a five-year cycle).

If your primary NAICS code is on the list—or a secondary code that applies to part of your operation is on the list—you need a written AWAIR program for that work. Newly listed industries generally have six months to comply. Schools were added in 2025, which is a recent example of how the list can expand.

Report orally to MNOSHA:

Work-related fatality - 8 hours

Inpatient hospitalization - 24hours

Amputation - 24 hours

Loss of an eye - 24 hours

Call MNOSHA Compliance during business hours (8 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Monday–Friday): 651-284-5050 or 877-470-6742. After hours, weekends, and holidays: federal OSHA 800-321-6742. Do not leave a voicemail and assume that counts.

Workers’ compensation reporting is separate: fatalities and serious injuries generally must be reported to DLI/the insurer within 48 hours. A timely MNOSHA report of a fatality, hospitalization, amputation, or eye loss can satisfy the employer’s 48-hour workers’ compensation notice for that event, but you still have insurer and First Report of Injury duties.

Minnesota is stricter than federal OSHA on this point. If you had more than 10 employees at any time during the last calendar year, you must keep OSHA injury and illness records—regardless of industry or NAICS code. Minnesota did not adopt the federal low-hazard industry exemptions. Count part-time, temporary, and seasonal employees.

Use OSHA 300, 300A, and 301 forms (or equivalents). Electronic submission rules also apply more broadly in Minnesota: establishments in all NAICS codes that meet the size thresholds must submit, with a typical March 2 deadline (20–99 employees submit 300A; 100 or more submit 300A, 300, and 301). Confirm current ITA filing instructions each year.

Minnesota has both federal Hazard Communication/GHS and its own Employee Right-to-Know (ERTK) rules (Minnesota Rules chapter 5206). ERTK covers hazardous substances, harmful physical agents, and infectious agents. Minnesota did not adopt certain federal HazCom exceptions for ionizing/nonionizing radiation and biological agents because those are already under ERTK.

Hazard communication / Employee Right-to-Know is consistently MNOSHA’s most-cited standard group.

The employer. Minnesota Statutes require employers to provide and pay for all PPE needed for employees to do the job safely. Employees cannot be required to buy required PPE. PPE is the last line of defense after engineering controls, work practices, and administrative controls.

At a minimum, post the Minnesota Job Safety and Health (MNOSHA) poster where other employee notices are posted, along with other required state and federal posters (minimum wage, workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance, ESST, and others as they apply). State posters are free at dli.mn.gov/posters.

If you receive a citation, post a copy at or near the violation for 20 days or until it is corrected, whichever is longer. You must also post the annual OSHA 300A summary from February 1 through April 30 if you are required to keep records.

MNOSHA inspects because of programmed scheduling, complaints, referrals, imminent danger, fatalities, and severe injuries. Investigators may walk the site, interview employees, and review records. Employers must not unreasonably restrain inspections.

Citations describe the standard allegedly violated and the abatement date. Penalty amounts depend on severity and probability. As of current DLI penalty guidance, nonserious penalties are often modest but can go much higher; willful violations can reach well over $100,000 per violation, with a statutory minimum in the five-figure range for willful cases. The General Duty Clause has its own penalty cap. Small employers without willful or repeat violations may qualify for payment plans. Always use the current DLI penalty page, because maximums are adjusted.

Temps have the same MNOSHA protections as regular employees. The staffing agency and the host employer are generally joint employers, so neither can push the duty onto the other in a contract.

On multi-employer jobs, a general contractor can also be cited if it controls the site and another employer’s workers are exposed.