The COVID Project
The record
- Jurisdiction
- Minnesota
- Level
- State
- Authority
- Minn. Stat. ch. 182 (recited: 'requirements set forth under the Occupational Safety and Health Act')
- Issued
- 2020-04-06 Apr. 6, 2020
- Effective
- 2020-04-06
- End
- standing as a statement of the ch. 182 duty; superseded in practice by the Plan Guidance of June 2020 (DUT-MN-013) (read as 2021-09-30)
- In force
- Standing since Apr. 6, 2020 (a statutory duty; in force throughout the six quarters)
- Quarters
- 2020 Q22020 Q32020 Q42021 Q12021 Q22021 Q3
2020 Q22020 Q32020 Q42021 Q12021 Q22021 Q3
- Limitation types
- Workplace rulesStanding duty
- Addressees
- employers (essential work operations under EO 20-20; the recited duties bind all employers)
- Character
- guidance incorporated
- Collection
- Standing duties: Minnesota DUT-MN
Operative words
Remember the basic responsibilities: Employers have a fundamental obligation to protect their employees from known hazards; and both employers and employees must follow requirements set forth under the Occupational Safety and Health Act.... employers must ensure they are assessing the potential exposures of their employees and developing safe work-practices to minimize exposure.
Penalty
§ 182.666 (DUT-MN-007) for the statutory duties the document restates; none of its own.
What it required
MNOSHA told every essential employer in April 2020 that COVID-19 was a workplace hazard within the Act's existing duties: employers 'must ensure they are assessing the potential exposures', 'must perform an assessment of the work activities' for PPE under the respiratory protection standard, and 'must train their employees about the health hazards relative to COVID-19 exposure'; its 'should' sentences (telework 'should' be used where possible) are recommendations.
Retrieval noteCharacter recorded exactly: the document is guidance; its mandatory sentences restate Minn. Stat. § 182.653 and the adopted federal standards ('must follow requirements set forth under the Occupational Safety and Health Act'; 'The OSHA respiratory protection standard details the requirements for each type of use'); its recommendations are recommendations. EO 20-40 ¶ 6 and every successor order then made 'Minnesota OSHA Standards and MDH and CDC Guidelines' the mandatory content of every Plan.