If you are employed in Minnesota, you should know what laws are in place to help keep you safe while on the job. Similarly, you will want to know what guidelines can help you in the event that you are ever involved in a work-related accident in which you are injured.
One of the pieces of legislation that the state has put in place to help you and other employees is called A Workplace Accident and Injury Reduction Act. According to the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, there are multiple requirements identified in the AWAIR Act. Its intention is to mandate written accident and injury plans in an effort to improve safety and reduce accidents on job worksites.
It should include communications plans for letting all employees and management know about the program as well as details for how accidents will be investigated. Investigation plans should include provisions for addressing problems to proactively prevent future issues related to the same problems. Management engagement and compliance with the safety programs should also be a priority and the documentation is expected to outline how companies will enforce this.
The AWAIR Act was originally to be updated every two years but that was changed to every four years just this past summer by the state legislature. The next update of the AWAIR Act will take place in late 2019. This information is not intended to provide legal advice but is rather meant to give Minnesota residents and employees an overview of this part of the state’s laws about injuries that happen at work.
