Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry

Occupational Safety and Health Division

443 Lafayette Road North
St. Paul, MN 55155
(651) 284-5050
Toll-free: 1-877-470-OSHA
OSHA.Compliance@state.mn.us

Fact Sheet

MNOSHA Strategic Partnership Program

What is a partnership?

A partnership is a formal written agreement between Minnesota OSHA (MNOSHA) and one or
more organizations to work together to improve worker safety and health in a cooperative, non-
adversarial fashion. These groups include trade associations, unions, professional societies and
single employers. The agreement lays out specific goals and objectives that the parties plan to
achieve, along with clear strategies about how to achieve them. Typical agreements last from three
to five years.

Why partnerships?

MNOSHA, like most organizations, has limited resources. With the partnership program, MNOSHA
is able to pool resources with employers to positively impact workplace safety in ways that
traditional enforcement and on-site consultation could not. Employers may receive training,
technical assistance and help establishing comprehensive safety and health programs. They may
also qualify for limited-scope inspections and reduced penalties. Besides the benefits of working
together with their employers, employees learn more about occupational safety and health and
hazard recognition. They are also able to take ownership for their protection. Everyone profits from
the safer, healthier workplaces created by the efforts of the partners.

What are some of the other requirements for the partnership agreement?

Besides having clearly stated goals and objectives, the written agreement needs to specify what
benefits the partners, including MNOSHA, will gain from this partnership. Additional requirements
that must be included in the written program include:

• details about how employee involvement will be achieved;

• the methods and measurement criteria to be used to evaluate the program annually;

• a description of the roles and responsibilities for the implementation and oversight of the
partnership; and

This material can be provided in different formats (Braille, large print or audiotape) by calling the MNOSHA
Training/Outreach Office at (651) 284-5050; toll-free at 1-877-470-OSHA (1-877-470-6742); or via TTY at
(651) 297-4198
 • the expiration date of the partnership, any conditions under which the program will be
terminated earlier and conditions for renewal.

Some partnerships may have different levels of participation, depending on the employer’s
qualifications and achievements in safety and health, with different incentives.

Information submitted as part of the application or renewal process or obtained by virtue of

participation in the partnership can be kept strictly confidential within the confines of the program.

Some examples of current partnerships

Construction Health and Safety Excellence (CHASE) Minnesota – Associated General

Contractors of Minnesota

The goal of this partnership is to reduce the number of injuries, illnesses and fatalities affecting
participants by three percent annually. To achieve this result, the program focuses on the four
leading causes of construction deaths, i.e., falls, struck-by, caught in/between and
electrocutions, and the development of comprehensive written safety and heath programs.
Regular audits are conducted. There are three levels of participation – red, white and blue, with
red being the lowest and blue the highest.

Machine Guarding Agreement Partnership (GAP) – Minnesota Machine Guarding Program

(Park Nicollet Institute and University of Minnesota)

This study, sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), seeks to
reduce the number of hand injuries in small and medium-sized metal fabrication shops through
the use of and education about machine guarding. Employers that participate in the study
receive a free evaluation of machine guarding practices in their facilities. There are three levels
of participation in the partnership, similar to the CHASE program.

Ford Partnership Agreement – Ford Motor Company and the International Union of United
Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW)

This agreement promotes better cooperation between the company, the union and MNOSHA to
reduce recordable injuries and illnesses. A steering committee with representatives from all
three parties will create an implementation plan to achieve the reduction and will coordinate site
visits and monitoring inspections. The issues and hazards the inspections will focus on include
ergonomics, lockout/tagout, heat stress and electrical safety. This agreement is similar to the
nationwide one federal OSHA has signed with Ford and the UAW.

For more information, please consult the MNOSHA Compliance Web site at
www.doli.state.mn.us//mnosha.html or contact MNOSHA by mail, e-mail or phone.