Safety Lines

The Newsletter of Minnesota OSHA

Number 53 Fall 2006
www.doli.state.mn.us

Minnesota OSHA assists after Hurricane Katrina disaster

By Jolyn Crum, Industrial Hygienist III, MNOSHA Workplace
Safety Consultation and Karen Hilts, Industrial Hygienist II,
MNOSHA Compliance
Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast of the United
States on Aug. 29, 2005, as a Category 3 hurricane,
with winds sustaining 120 to 125 miles an hour. The
storm surge in the New Orleans, La. (NOLA), area
caused many breaches in the levees surrounding the
city, which is 80 percent below sea level. A death
toll of approximately 1,900 was confirmed by May
2006, with roughly 1,600 of those deaths taking place
in Louisiana. A house in the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans, La., rests atop
two cars and other debris after being pushed across the street by
Due to the enormous devastation sustained in the floodwaters in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
New Orleans area, federal OSHA set up a temporary
area field office (AFO) at the request of the Federal OSHA hoped to create a database that would capture
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help any employee overexposures to toxic or hazardous
tackle the numerous health and safety issues left in substances and would demonstrate effective
the aftermath of Katrina. To avoid the legal issues employee protections. The main task of OSHA was
and health concerns that arose during and after the to protect federal assets, sites funded by FEMA and
World Trade Center clean-up efforts, FEMA and operated by the Coast Guard, Army Corps of
Engineers and their contractors.

OSHA volunteers from all over the country were

called upon to help federal OSHA with the task of
ensuring the health and safety of employees who
would soon be needed to help clear massive amounts
of debris, demolish destroyed buildings, reinstate
much of the infrastructure that was damaged or
destroyed and to help rebuild "the Big Easy."

Volunteers were placed in groups – or task forces – of

two, with one safety investigator and one industrial
Karen Hilts, MNOSHA Compliance, takes heat-stress hygienist (IH), not just for comprehensive health and
measurements while working in the area devastated by
Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. Hurricane Katrina, continues ...
Hurricane Katrina, continued ...
safety knowledge, but also for security
reasons. Each team was given daily
assignments to perform industrial
hygiene sampling and assist with safety
issues on a consultative basis at FEMA-
funded sites throughout southeastern
Louisiana.

A day in the life at NOLA AFO

Immediately following the hurricane,
rotations one through 10 consisted of as
many as 10 task forces. By rotation 14,
the first of our two two-week rotations,
General-debris site created from devastation of Hurricane Katrina in September 2005.
task forces had been reduced to four
groups of two. Due to the emphasis on
industrial hygiene sampling, the IHs were
dubbed task-force leaders. Initial rotations
worked 12-hour days for 14 consecutive
days, before going home. For health and
safety reasons, this practice was altered
for contractors and OSHA personnel. Our
rotations worked six-day work weeks, 10
to 12 hours a day.

On a typical day, we woke at the Holiday

Inn Superdome, rode either with each
other or our task-force partner to breakfast
(Café Du Monde for café au lait and
beignets or the Rendezvous for latte and
Workers on top of the Superdome in New Orleans, La., (l to r) Jeff Lodwick, Salt
eggs with grits) and arrived at the NOLA Lake Training Center; Jolyn Crum, MNOSHA Workplace Safety Consultation; and
AFO by the 7:30 a.m. check-in. The James Bush, OSHA Region 6, Dallas.
planning chief would distribute
assignments for the day to each task-
force leader. Sometimes assignments
were handed out the day before to give
us time to leave the hotel by 5:30 a.m.
or earlier. Maps, directions, equipment,
phones, roadside assistance equipment
and OSHA handouts were prepared and
packed into the vehicle. We would
usually hit the road by 9 a.m.

Travel through Louisiana was tricky at

times, with missing street signs or stop
signs, potholes the size of baby elephants,
Hurricane Katrina, continues ...
Flood-ruined household appliances pile up at a waste site near New Orleans, La.
Hurricane Katrina, continued ...
Boats and debris pile up at the Lake Pontchartrain Marina, New Orleans, LA.
"One of our duties was to look for
alligators and water moccasins
during dive operations."
Five alligators eye the OSHA workers near New Orleans,
La., as the OSHA workers keep an eye on them.
Safety Lines
stop signs and one-way signs turned the
wrong way, large piles of debris blocking
the view of intersections and contractors
without high-visibility wear in the street.
Particularly interesting were the four-
way stop intersections at which no one
actually stopped. We were warned daily
of this hazard. Traffic signs and rules
seemed to become mere guidelines.
The territory covered included New
Orleans proper, including the Lower
Ninth Ward, and parishes from the Texas
border across to the Mississippi border
and down to the Gulf of Mexico. For
security reasons, we were required to
call the office two times a day. However,
some areas did not have adequate cell
phone coverage and it was sometimes
necessary to call another task force to
ask them to contact the office for us.
Issues of concern were the indigent
population, snakes, spiders, alligators
and, at times, the contractors themselves.
Contractors were performing demolition,
debris removal and presumed-asbestos
removal wearing full Tyvek suits and
respirators in the Louisiana heat and
humidity.
The Coast Guard and its contractors
were removing sunken boats and ships
from the waterways, with commercial
divers, cranes on barges and tugboats.
One of our duties was to look for
alligators and water moccasins during
dive operations. A benefit to being on
the barges was the promise of fresh crab
and crawfish for lunch, caught off the
barge that day and cooked up by the
tugboat cook.
Personal air and/or noise samples were
attached to employees at the assigned
sites. Common health hazards that were
sampled for included: noise, asbestos,
Hurricane Katrina, continues ...
3 Fall 2006
Hurricane Katrina, continues ...
carbon monoxide, respirable dust, silica, total dust, lead and flammable gases. One problem throughout
the day was locating the crews wearing the equipment as they moved from block to block removing debris
from the streets. In between sampling episodes, imminent dangers with non-FEMA contract employees
were addressed on a consultative basis that we referred to as interventions. Common safety hazards seen
involved fall protection, electrical safety, scaffolds, traffic control, trenching and more.

After a sample was collected, we returned to the office from as far as three hours away. Back at the office,
we: entered all of our interventions, sampling paperwork, photos and employee information; recalibrated
equipment; and submitted samples for submission to the Salt Lake City laboratory. After that was completed,
we would sign out anywhere from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Camaraderie among the team members and operations
personnel was essential to performing the difficult day-tasks. The hotel employees treated us very well and
were very appreciative of the OSHA business. Because tourists were scarce, hotels and restaurants were
few and far between, and good employees to staff them were hard to find.

In conclusion
We encountered anger and frustration from the populace toward the government and insurance companies,
none of which was directed at us. Our assistance was appreciated and we always felt welcome wherever
our assignments took us. Tensions were particularly high because the mayoral election was in progress.
For the four weeks we were there, we saw very little progress being made with the clean-up effort. Large
piles of debris remained, heavy construction equipment remained idle due to lack of operators or funding,
and the Lower Ninth Ward looked much like an atomic bomb had exploded the day before. The fire
department was still using cadaver dogs to search for bodies nine months after Katrina hit. Although we
felt our work was important and well-received, we can understand the lingering anger and resentment of
the people remaining in the Big Easy and surrounding bayou country.

Note: As of Aug. 31, 2006, OSHA personnel are no longer performing FEMA assistance functions in
NOLA. Decisions are currently being made through federal OSHA Consultation about contracting outside
personnel or training short-term employees for consultation work in the area. In the meantime, the Baton
Rouge, La., OSHA office will continue its compliance and consultation efforts as best as it can.

History of lending a helping hand; MNOSHA in NYC, 2001

Two months after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center in
New York, 11 Minnesota OSHA Compliance employees voluntarily traveled
to the site to work by assisting federal OSHA Region II (New York) with the
clean-up of the site.

Later, two of those MNOSHA workers wrote personal accounts for Safety
Lines about the sights that met them, the work they did, the people they
interacted with and other experiences.

To read those accounts, visit www.doli.state.mn.us/pdf/3502sl.pdf.

Safety Lines 4 Fall 2006

Minnesota OSHA standards update
By Shelly Techar, Management Analyst

AWAIR list revisions proposed

The list of industries required to comply with the A Workplace Accident and Injury
Reduction (AWAIR) Act is being amended to satisfy the statutory requirement that the list
be reviewed and updated every two years.

The prior revision to the AWAIR list in Minnesota Rules 5208.1500 occurred in October
2004, when standard industrial classification (SIC) data was being used. During 2003 and
2004, OSHA transitioned to using the North American Industrial Classification System
(NAICS), an alternative industry grouping system. In 2005, the Minnesota Legislature
amended Minnesota Statutes §182.653 to allow NAICS to be used in the list.

The proposed revised list was compiled using 2004 data for Minnesota from the
federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses.
Employers in the NAICS industries on the list will have six months from the date the
revised list is adopted to implement an AWAIR program for their facilities.

Industries that are not on the proposed list may be added to the list in two years if the
incidence rates for the industry go above the Minnesota average rates for that year.
Updates to this list will be based on the most current injury and illness data available at
the time of the update.

Industries with a case rate (per 100 full-time employees) for days away from work, days
of restricted work activity or job transfer (DART) at or above 2.6 or a total case incidence
rate (recordable injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time workers) at or above 5.3 will be
added to the list. These are the 2004 rates for all Minnesota industries.

AWAIR requires covered employers to develop a written workplace safety and health
program that includes:
• an explanation of how managers, supervisors and employees will implement the
program;
• how the continued participation of management will be established, measured and
maintained;
• the methods that will be used to identify, analyze and control new or existing
hazards, conditions and operations;
• how the plan will be communicated to all affected employees;
• how workplace accidents will be reviewed (for example, defining how they will be
investigated and how corrective actions will be implemented); and
• how safe work practices and rules will be enforced.
Standards update, continues ...
Standards update, continued ...
The existing AWAIR list is available online at www.doli.state.mn.us/awair.html. When the proposed
revisions are adopted, the posted list will be updated to reflect the changes.

Other proposed revisions

Proposed changes are pending to Minnesota Rules 5205.0030 and 5207.0100, High Visibility Personal
Protective Equipment, and Minn. Rules 5207.1000, Operation of Mobile Earth-moving Equipment. The
changes include:
• updating the ANSI edition reference in the above-mentioned rules from 107-1999 to 107-2004;
• making a nonsubstantive technical correction to an NFPA reference; and
• deleting past effective dates.

The 2004 version of the ANSI standard has been

expanded to stay in line with the state-of-the-
art in fabrics technology and design, and now
provides users with documentation that a garment
meets all requirements of the standard. Also,
product coverage now includes high-visibility
headwear and all reference to selection based
on vehicle speeds has been removed, instead
emphasizing garment selection based on the color
and complexity of the work environment.

Status of changes
The proposed revisions were published in the
State Register Aug. 7, followed by a 30-day
comment period that ended Sept. 6. No comments were received. A notice adopting these amendments
will be published in the State Register. Both the proposal notice and adoption notice (when available)
will be online at www.comm.media.state.mn.us/bookstore/state_register.asp.

Copies of the proposal notice were sent to those on the Minnesota OSHA standards mailing list. To be
added to the mailing list for notification of MNOSHA standard activity or other Department of Labor and
Industry rulemaking, complete and return the form at www.doli.state.mn.us/docs/rules_reqnotices.doc.

Anchor Block Company earns fourth MNSHARP award

In September, the Brooklyn
Park, Minn., location of
Anchor Block Company
was awarded MNSHARP
status by Minnesota OSHA
Workplace Safety
Consultation. It is the
fourth Anchor Block
Company location to
achieve the honor.

For more information about

MNSHARP, visit www.
doli.state.mn.us/mnsharp.
html.

Safety Lines 6 Fall 2006

High incidence of electrical accidents can be eliminated
By Jim Krueger, Metro Safety Director
MNOSHA Management Team

When Minnesota OSHA (MNOSHA) analyzed where the greatest portion of workplace injuries and illness
investigations were occurring during the past five years, it was determined that contractors who primarily
engage in electrical work (SIC 1731, NAICS 213531) had a high incidence of accidents. During the five-
year period, there were eight fatalities and 14 serious injuries MNOSHA investigated. In 2005, MNOSHA
investigated the following accidents that occurred when employees contacted energized equipment.

• Employees were assigned to connect an underground utility line to an existing above-ground electrical
utility pole. While performing live work from an aerial lift, an employee – who was not wearing
appropriate safety equipment – made contact with a bracket that was energized at 7,200 volts. The
employee’s finger was amputated and the employee was treated for elbow and hand burns and injuries.

• Employees were guiding a traffic signal pole into a foundation. One employee was guiding the bottom
of the pole, another was holding a tag line to help control the pole and the third employee was
operating the boom truck. The pole moved and contacted a power line, resulting in severe and
extensive burns to the employee holding the pole.

• A crew was constructing a three-phase overhead power line from an existing single-phase line. One
employee was working in a bucket attached to a boom. The employee did not have fall protection, nor
protective sleeves or other personal protective equipment. Employees working on the ground heard a
loud arcing noise, looked up and saw the employee in the bucket slumped over and unconscious. The
employee suffered first, second and third-degree burns.

• Workers were replacing several miles of wooden power line poles with new steel poles. A three-person
crew was installing earth anchors at the base of overhead power line poles. While an employee
attempted to insert a metal anchor rod into an anchor wrench attached to a boom on a digger-derrick
truck, the boom contacted a power line. The employee was electrocuted.

MNOSHA issues citations to protect employees from death and serious injuries that occur when working
on or near electrical equipment. The monetary penalties can be significant. Listed below are the most-
frequently cited standards. Review of the list and a serious effort toward eliminating such hazards on
every jobsite will help keep workers safe. For assistance, call MNOSHA at 1-800-470-6742 or visit
www.doli.state.mn.us/mnosha.html.

Most-frequently cited standards for electrical contractors

Standard Description
1926.405(a)(2) ........................ Temporary wiring requirements
1926.405(d) ............................ Electrical hazards involving switchboards and panelboards
1926.405(g)(2) ........................ Flexible cords and cables – identification, splices and termination
1926.453(b)(2) ........................ Extensible and articulating boom platform requirements
1926.404(b)(1) ........................ Use of ground fault circuit interrupters or an assured equipment grounding program
M.S. §182.653 subd. 8 ........... A Workplace Accident and Injury Reduction (AWAIR) program
1926.100(a) ............................ Hard hats in construction
1926.405(b)(1) ........................ Protection of conductors from abrasion and closure of boxes, cabinets and fittings
1926.403(i)(2) ......................... Guarding of live electrical parts
1926.416(a)(1) Protection of employees against electrical shock through the use of de-energization
and grounding or guarding and insulation
1926.403(b)(2) ........................ Installation and use of listed, labeled or certified equipment
Accidents increase in tree trimming and removal industry
By Ryan Nosan, Safety Investigator, Principal
The Minnesota OSHA (MNOSHA) has seen an
increase in the number of serious injuries and
fatalities occurring in the ornamental shrub and
tree service industry (establishments engaged in
tree trimming and removal). This industry (SIC
0782 and 0783; NAICS 561730) is covered by the
General Industry Regulations 29 CFR 1910.
Falls, struck-by, cuts, shocks and electrocutions
are just a few of the hazards these workers face
every day when performing this type of work.
Falls and struck-by hazards make up a majority of
the accidents investigated by MNOSHA each year
in this industry. Since January 2006, one fatality
and two serious injuries have occurred.
In April 2006, a fatality occurred when a ground
worker, working below another worker in a tree
who was removing brush and limbs, was struck by
a piece of falling debris. The worker on the ground
was not wearing a hard hat and was not clear of
the cutting area/drop zone.
Both serious injuries occurring to-date in 2006
involved falls from significant heights, where fall
protection was not used or was used improperly.
One of the accidents occurred when a “climber,”
was in the process of removing a dead tree. The
tree had only one limb and the climber had secured
his fall protection to this limb. During the first cut,
the limb broke at the stock and the worker fell
approximately 30 feet. The climber sustained
broken bones.
The other accident occurred when a tree-trimming
crew was in the process of piecing out a very large
tree. One employee was working from a truck-
mounted aerial lift when the limb being cut twisted
and struck the boom of the truck, causing the
boom to break and the employee to fall from the
bucket. The employee working in the lift was not
using a body harness or a body belt. The employee
fell approximately 25 feet and sustained injuries.
Safety Lines
The standards that have been most-frequently cited
in this industry nationally since 2003 include:
• 1910.67(c)(2) – Specific requirements for
working from extensible and articulating boom
platforms (fall protection, training);
• 1910.132(a) – General requirements for personal
protective equipment;
• 1910.133(a)(1) – General requirements for eye/
face protection;
• 1910.135(a)(1) – General requirements for head
protection; and
• 1910.1200/5206.0700 – Hazard communication/
Right-to-Know program.
Other applicable standards include:
• 1910.266 – Logging operations;
• 1910.268(q) – Tree trimming electrical hazards;
• 1910.268(r) – Line clearance tree trimming
operations; and
• 1910.333 – Selection and use of work practices.
Additionally, MNOSHA may reference the
applicable ANSI standard (Z133.1.1994) for tree
care operations when a specific OSHA standard
does not apply.
MNOSHA Workplace Safety Consultation
conducts the LogSafe program – professional
logger safety training – for this industry. Visit
www.doli.state.mn.us/logging.html for more.
8 Fall 2006
Construction Breakfast season offers full menu
By Gary Robertson, MNOSHA Training Officer
Some of the 117 Construction Breakfast attendees check
in for "Crane operator certification," Sept. 19, at the
Department of Health conference room. Getting the
attendees checked in is Lorinda Floding-Huss (in red) and
Mitzy Wright, Minnesota OSHA.
Doug Swenson, Associated General Contractors of
Minnesota, begins his presentation about crane-operator
certification.
Safety Lines
The Department of Labor and Industry and Minnesota
OSHA (MNOSHA) Compliance announce the 2006 and
2007 Construction Breakfast season, which offers a host of
new and recurring safety topics. The breakfast seminars
offer participants a hot breakfast, followed by a
presentation and discussion about a construction safety or
health topic.
The 2006 and 2007 Construction Breakfast schedule is:
• Sept. 19 – Crane operator certification;
• Nov. 21 – Fall protection;
• Jan. 16 – Road construction/work-zone safety;
• March 20 – Residential fall protection; and
• May 15 – Trenching.
The first program of this year's series, "Crane operator
certification," was new to the series and generated a lot of
interest throughout the state. Presenter Doug Swenson,
Associated General Contractors of Minnesota, addressed a
new law requiring certification of some crane operators on
construction worksites. The statute becomes effective July
1, 2007. The seminar defined which crane operators need
to be certified, in reference to the size and type of crane
they are operating, and explained why some crane
operators may be exempt from the new law because of the
type and location of work they perform. Participants were
also told operator training requirements and who may
administer this training, so operator certification will be in
compliance when the new regulation takes effect.
If you were unable to attend the September Construction
Breakfast seminar, the presentation is available online at
www.doli.state.mn.us/brkfst.html as a PDF file.
Every year, serious injuries and fatalities are the result of
falls from elevated work surfaces and excavation cave-ins.
Fall protection, both commercial and residential, and
protecting employees working in excavations demands
considerable attention from MNOSHA construction
investigators. Because of those issues, the two topics
continue to be presented at Construction Breakfast seminars
each year.
Construction Breakfast, continues ...
9 Fall 2006
Construction Breakfast, continued ...
A detailed description of each presentation and information about registration is available online at
www.doli.state.mn.us/brkfst.html. Advance registration is recommended. The seminar location is the
Minnesota Department of Health, Snelling Office Park, 1645 Energy Park Drive, St. Paul. There is no

osha
charge for parking. The doors open at about 6:30 a.m., with
breakfast serving beginning shortly afterward; the program
starts at 7:30 a.m. and lasts about an hour. Participants are only
charged for the cost of the meal, currently $10.

In addition to the featured presentations, the Construction

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND INDUSTRY
Breakfast seminars provide a forum for participants to network
and discuss similar concerns with other professionals in the
industry. It is also an opportunity for participants to approach MNOSHA staff members to ask questions
about regulations or safety programs.

The Construction Breakfast steering committee met during the summer months to suggest, discuss and
select the topics and presenters for the seminars. Meetings were very productive and the program
continues to grow with the support of the steering committee.

Construction Breakfast steering committee members are: Don Felton, Hasslen Construction; Jim Oksol,
Federated Insurance; Scott Richert, St. Paul Travelers; Steven Kohler, Frattalone Companies; Mil
Carroll, State Fund Mutual; Lloyd Wangerin, Centex Homes; and Debra Hilmerson, Hilmerson Services.

WSC serves up construction safety seminars outside the metro

Outside the Twin Cities, Minnesota OSHA Workplace Safety Consultation (WSC) presents its
Construction Safety seminars in Baxter (Brainerd), North Mankato and Owatonna. Much the same
as the Construction Breakfast seminars from Minnesota OSHA Compliance (see above), the safety
seminars start with breakfast – from coffee and rolls to a buffet breakfast, depending on location
– followed by a construction safety and health presentation. For more information or to register,
visit www.doli.state.mn.us/brkfst.html.

Health hazards in construction – subpart D

• Owatonna, Nov. 14 • North Mankato, Nov. 15 • Baxter (Brainerd), Nov. 29

Fatality/serious injury
• Owatonna, Jan. 9 • North Mankato, Jan. 10 • Baxter (Brainerd), Jan. 17

Four main hazards: falls, struck by, entrapment, electrical

• Owatonna, March 6 • North Mankato, March 7 • Baxter (Brainerd), March 14

Right-to-know and heat stress

• Owatonna, May 8 • North Mankato, May 9 • Baxter (Brainerd), May 16

Safety Lines 10 Fall 2006

New, free safety tools on the Web
By Diane Amell, Training Officer

Resources are constantly being added to the World Wide Web. Materials covering
occupational safety and health are no exception. Below are three new, free tools that may
assist with safety training.

• The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

(NIOSH) has created a new Web-based training exercise,
Trench Safety Awareness. The program explains the types of
trench collapse, soil type classification and protective systems.
However, it is not intended to be used for competent-person
training without additional instruction or materials.

The program is online at www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2006-133D

and can be accessed or downloaded. A CD-ROM version is
available for a free, two-week loan from the MNOSHA
audiovisual library. For a complete listing about what is
available from the MNOSHA audiovisual library, visit
www.doli.state.mn.us/pdf/videotp.pdf.

• The U.S. Chemical Accident Safety and Hazard

Identification Board (CSB) has released a series of safety
videos based on some of their chemical accident investigations.

Both animation and actual film footage is used to depict incidents involving:
– the overheating of a flammable gas cylinder by the sun;
– the sterilization of medical supplies using ethylene oxide; and
– damage to an unguarded valve by a fork truck and trailer.

There are eight videos available, including five analyzing specific events. The videos
and the accompanying Safety Bulletins can be viewed on the CSB Web site at
www.csb.gov/index.cfm?folder=video_archive&page=index. Free DVD copies of the
videos can be ordered on the site as well. The Web site features both English and
German versions of the BP Texas City explosion video, while the DVD features a ninth
video describing the CSB itself.

• In honor of the 35th anniversary of the federal Occupational Safety and Health
Act, public health educator and performance poet Stacy Smallwood presented his new
poem at the 2006 National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) Symposium. The
poem serves as a solemn reflection on the importance of workplace safety and health. A
video of Smallwood’s performance and a transcript of the poem can be found on the
NIOSH Web site at www.cdc.gov/niosh/nora/symp06/videopage.html. The symposium
was co-sponsored by NIOSH and the National Safety Council.

Note: These and more videos can also be viewed online via the federal OSHA multimedia
page at www.osha.gov/sltc/multimedia.html. Fourteen titles are available.
 Gettin' the 411
By James Krueger, Metro Safety Director
MNOSHA Management Team

Minnesota OSHA (MNOSHA) is committed to

helping customers achieve safe and healthful
work conditions. One way the organization
does that is by providing telephone assistance.
Each day, two MNOSHA safety and health
professionals staff the phones to assist callers
with a wide variety of topics.

Some callers wish to file a safety complaint about
their workplace. In the past 18 months, staff
members have answered 12,898 calls; 1,012 of
those calls resulted in complaints. Most of the
complaints do not result in an on-site inspection,
but are resolved by a letter to the employer asking
them to look into the condition, take appropriate
action if necessary and provide MNOSHA with
confirmation that an unsafe condition is not
present. This allows MNOSHA to use its safety
and health resources more effectively.
MNOSHA also answers calls requesting safety
and health information that ranges from general
to very specific. Callers include safety and
health professionals, individuals starting a
new business or safety program, and others. In
most cases, this information is provided to the
caller immediately; they can also be directed to
another agency or provided assistance locating
the information MNOSHA or federal OSHA
maintains online.

Contacting Minnesota OSHA Compliance

Compliance assistance information Minnesota OSHA offices
Phone: (651) 284-5050 St. Paul: (651) 284-5050
Greater Minnesota: 1-877-470-OSHA 1-877-470-6742
(1-877-470-6742) Duluth: (218) 733-7722
TTY: (651) 297-4198 Mankato: (507) 389-6507
E-mail: osha.compliance@state.mn.us
Web: www.doli.state.mn.us/mnosha.html Minnesota Rules
Online, Minnesota Legislature:
OSHA 300 forms, posters www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/statutes.asp
Phone: (651) 284-5042 Printed, Minnesota's Bookstore:
Greater Minnesota: 1-877-470-6742 (651) 297-3000
1-800-657-3757

After hours: reporting of accidents only

1-800-321-OSHA
(1-800-321-6742)

Safety Lines 12 Fall 2006

 Recordkeeping 101: Part 8
A guide for keeping an accurate OSHA log
By Brian Zaidman, Research Analyst, Research and Statistics

Editor's note: This is the eighth installment of a series about using the OSHA Form 300 and summarizing its results. This
information is directed to people who are new to OSHA recordkeeping activities, who are unfamiliar with the 2002 recordkeeping
changes or who want to review their recordkeeping practices. Visit www.doli.state.mn.us/recordkeeping.html for previous
installments.

The OSHA recordkeeping system puts a ready-to-use performance

measurement tool for workplace safety into the hands of every
business. Thanks to the OSHA log (OSHA Form 300), every business
has a system for accurately recording and measuring an important
aspect of workplace safety: the number of injuries and illnesses among
its workers. The OSHA log as serves as the official record of work-related
injuries and illnesses for a work establishment. All employees, former
employees, their personal representatives and their collective bargaining agents
can review the log. In Minnesota, all employers with more than 10 employees
must comply with the recordkeeping requirements, regardless of their industry.

During the past seven quarterly editions of Safety Lines, the Recordkeeping 101 series has presented a
wide range of issues involved in creating and using your OSHA log:
part one – deciding what injury and illness cases to include in the log;
part two – classifying cases into case types;
part three – counting the days away from work and days of job transfer or restriction;
part four – describing injury and illness events;
part five – classifying cases as either injuries or illnesses;
part six – creating the annual log summary; and
part seven – using the log summary to track your company’s performance.

In this installment, the conclusion of the series, we review some key points for creating and maintaining
an accurate OSHA log. Improving your ability to measure workplace safety improves your ability to
manage workplace safety.

Educate yourself
The best way to improve your recordkeeping skills is to spend a few minutes becoming familiar with the
recordkeeping system when you’re not under pressure to record a case or prepare an annual summary.
• Congratulations, you’re reading a Recordkeeping 101 installment! Bookmark all the online
installments or print them and keep them with your log. Minnesota OSHA has all the recordkeeping
installments available online at www.doli.state.mn.us/recordkeeping.html.
• Become familiar with the OSHA recordkeeping forms packet, available on the federal OSHA Web
site at www.osha.gov/recordkeeping/new-osha300form1-1-04.pdf.
• The federal OSHA recordkeeping Web site also provides all the information that was presented in
the Recordkeeping 101 articles at www.osha.gov/recordkeeping/index.html.
• Recordkeeping training courses are offered through the Minnesota Safety Council. For a schedule
of classes, visit www.minnesotasafetycouncil.org/courses/courses.cfm#o.
• You can view a recordkeeping PowerPoint presentation from Minnesota OSHA online at
www.doli.state.mn.us/ppt/recordkeeping1904.ppt.
 Recordkeeping 101: Part 8

• If you have questions, contact Minnesota OSHA by e-mail at osha.compliance@state.mn.us or by

phone at (651) 284-5042 (toll-free at 1-800-342-5354).

Educate others in your workplace

Recordkeeping knowledge is an important skill. After learning how to maintain the log and create the
annual summary, teach others how to do it. When workers who have learned the OSHA log system
change jobs, their replacements often have to start from scratch. The following ideas can help a
replacement hit the ground running.
• Keep copies of important recordkeeping-related documents.
• Train a coworker, safety committee members or your supervisor about the basics of recordkeeping.
It helps to have someone appreciate the work that is involved. This also gives you someone to work
with when questions arise.
• Take notes about what you do and how you do it.

Organize your records

• Use an electronic version of the log; federal OSHA provides an Excel version on its Web site at
www.osha.gov/recordkeeping/new-osha300form1-1-04.xls. This will help keep your information
organized and legible, and provides more room for text.
• Good records organization will help you when you train others. It also shows your business is
serious about occupational safety and health.
• A well-kept, legible log makes it easy to prepare the annual summary.
• The log must be kept available for five years after the year of the cases, so there’s a high likelihood
that other people will be looking at the log.

Include only recordable cases

• The basic recordkeeping requirement is to record all work-related injuries and illnesses that result
in death, loss of consciousness, medical treatment beyond first aid, days away from work,
restriction of work or transfer to another job.
• The log should include only those cases meeting the recordability criteria. Many workplace
incidents may look like recordable injuries, but don’t meet the criteria. For example, a work-related
rash that can be treated with a nonprescription ointment and that does not result in any job
restrictions or time away from work is not a recordable case.
• Medical treatment is any treatment not included on OSHA’s first aid list (see Recordkeeping 101:
Part 1).
• Record a case only in the year in which the injury or illness first occurred. If a December injury
results in days away from work the following January, the case is recorded in December, not
January.

Each case receives only one case type

• Each recordable case must be classified according to the most serious outcome for that case. Only
one classification is permitted.
• The order of case seriousness is: death, days away from work, job transfer or restriction, and other
recordable cases. A nonfatal case with only one day away from work must be classified as a days
away from work case, even if the injury also results in 150 days of job restriction.

Count calendar days

• For cases with days away from work and days of job transfer or restriction, count calendar days, not
just scheduled workdays or days the business is open.
Safety Lines 14 Fall 2006
 Recordkeeping 101: Part 8

• Begin counting days on the day after the injury occurred or the illness began.
• Continue counting days even into the next year. However, record your count on the log for the year
the injury or illness first occurred.
• If a case with days away from work also has days of job transfer or restriction, count each type
separately and enter each duration in the appropriate column on the log.

Provide a thorough description of each case

• Descriptions should provide specific information that safety directors and safety committee
members can use to improve workplace safety.
• Describe the worker’s activity, what happened, the part of the body that was affected and how it
was affected.
• If necessary, use more than one row of the paper version of the log when recording a description.

Classify each case as an injury or an illness

• Each recordable case must have a check in only one of the columns, M1 through M6. Check the
category that best fits the circumstances of the case.
• Most recordable cases are injuries. In general, injuries result from instantaneous events or
exposures in the work environment.

Use the log

The OSHA log is a tool to help employers manage workplace safety and health. Keeping an accurate log
is only the start of the process.
• Every establishment required to keep a log must create an annual summary and post the summary
in the workplace.
• Share the summary information with your company’s management and the safety committee.
• Compare annual results and benchmark against the state and national averages for your industry.
Minnesota rate information is available at www.doli.state.mn.us/blsstats.htm. National statistics are
available at www.bls.gov/iif.
• Use statistics about detailed case characteristics to understand the most common types of injuries
for your industry and for the occupations in your establishment.
• For help accessing or understanding the BLS survey results tables, contact the Department of Labor
and Industry's Research and Statistics unit by phone at (651) 285-5025 or by e-mail at
dli.research@state.mn.us.

Don't let winter hazards trip you up

By Brian Zaidman, Research Analyst, Research and Statistics

Four winter months — December through March — account for 68 percent of all
workers’ compensation indemnity claims resulting from outdoor slips, trips and falls
on the same level or from steps. Data for the past four years shows an average of
615 such injuries each winter, compared to 290 of these injuries during the remaining
eight months. These injuries occurred most often on parking lots; this is followed by
sidewalks, stairs or steps, streets and the ground (unspecified).

These injuries have a very different profile than indemnity claims in general. Compared
to all indemnity claims for 2003 and 2004, fractures are much more common and sprains and strains are less
common among the outdoor winter injuries. Outdoor winter slips, trips and falls are more likely to result in injuries
to the lower extremities and to multiple body parts, and are much less likely to result in back injuries than are
all indemnity claims.

Safety Lines 15 Fall 2006

 View ergonomics best-practices on agency Web site

Minnesota OSHA Workplace Safety Consultation (WSC) is Health care industry

working to create Web pages that will showcase the
ergonomics best-practices of employers throughout the state
at www.doli.state.mn.us/ergo_bestpractices.html. The pages
show examples of inventive ways employers and employees
are working to reduce the risks of musculoskeletal injuries in
the workplace.

Currently, there is no specific Minnesota or federal

ergonomics regulation; however, employers have an
obligation to correct recognized ergonomics hazards causing
or likely to cause injury to employees.

The best-practices ideas featured online can help other

facilities accomplish this obligation by providing examples
from other worksites, which may also help generate ideas for
reducing risk-factors in other work tasks.

Submit your company's ergonomics best-practices ideas

WSC welcomes submission of best-practices ideas for
Residents can be easily positioned during daily care
inclusion on these Web pages. If submitting ideas, include as activities.
much of the following information as possible, with
photographs that illustrate the idea (before and after, if Manufacturing industry
possible):

• type of industry;
• general description of the work task and work area;
• description of the task requirements prior to the
change;
• body part(s) most affected;
• description of the ergonomics best-practice
intervention;
• description of the task requirements after the change;
• risk-factors eliminated;
• employee testimonials;
• injury-reduction data; and
• return-on-investment data.

For more information

For more information or to submit ideas, contact Dave
Ferkul, Workplace Safety Consultation, by phone at
(218) 733-7832 or by e-mail at dave.ferkul@state.mn.us.
Safety Lines 16
Use of a motorized cart or “tug” has eliminated
the unnecessary risks associated with transporting
computer mainframes to a raised-floor testing lab.
Fall 2006
 Best of the worst: photos from the Minnesota OSHA files
Each year, MNOSHA investigators witness and
photograph hundreds of safety and health hazards in
their efforts to keep Minnesota workers safe.

The investigators have pulled together a collection

of the photos – a "best of the worst" – from
incidents in 2004 and 2005, where no one was
injured and the employer was instructed to correct
the hazards.

The collection of photos is available at www.doli.

state.mn.us/05photo_main.html. Information about
how investigations are conducted is available online
at www.doli.state.mn.us/oshinsp.html.
Above: Two MNOSHA investigators are recognized for their photos of hazardous
situations, judged "best of the worst" and "best of the worst, runner up." L to R: Gary
Anderson with his "best of the worst" photo; Jim Krueger, metro safety director; Tom
Joachim, assistant commissioner, Safety Codes and Services Division; Karen Hilts
with her "best of the worst, runner up" photo; Clayton Handt, health supervisor; and
Jeff Isakson, MNOSHA administrative director.

At left: Gary Anderson's photo of a hazardous situation was judged "best of the
worst." In the photo, an employee is pouring molten metal into a bull ladle.

Minnesota OSHA again coordinates national publication

highlighting state-plan safety, health efforts
The new edition of GRASSROOTS Workplace Protection, an annual
publication developed in cooperation with federal OSHA and the
Occupational Safety and Health State Plan Association (OSHSPA) to
highlight areas where OSHA state-plan states are unique from federal
SP
A
G
R
A
SS OSHA, has just been released.
O
SH
RO
O
TS GRASSROOTS
Workplace Protection There are 26 state-plan jurisdictions that have been approved by federal
ON
W
O

TI
R

EC
K

OT

OSHA to run their own occupational safety and health programs. By law,
E

2005 OSHSPA Report

R

PR

State-plan activities of the

Occupational Safety and Health
State Plan Association these states must have programs that are at least as effective as federal
OSHA.

The most recent edition of GRASSROOTS Workplace Protection

describes innovative approaches to workplace security, customer service,
enforcement emphasis in high-risk worksites, technology and voluntary
compliance that have been developed by the states.

OSHSPA links the 26 state-plan jurisdictions, federal OSHA and Congress.

At meetings three times a year, state-program representatives share information and discuss common problems.

The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry coordinated the GRASSROOTS publication for federal fiscal-
years 2005 and 2004. Visit www.osha.gov/fso/osp/oshspa/annualreport.html for the current and past editions of
the annual OSHSPA report.
Safety Lines 17 Fall 2006