Updates related to COVID-19

• Stay Safe Plan for safely reopening Minnesota

• COVID-19 Preparedness Plan template and instructions (updated July 22, 2020) – Word document | PDF

  • Translated versions of Word document (updated June 15, 2020) – Hmong | Somali | Spanish | Burmese

All businesses are required to develop and implement a COVID-19 Preparedness Plan that complies with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) COVID-19 guidelines and OSHA standards.

For additional information or assistance in developing a plan, businesses can contact MNOSHA Workplace Safety Consultation at 651-284-5060 or osha.consultation@state.mn.us.

• Worker protections during COVID-19 video

• COVID-19 Preparedness Plan and industry guidance FAQs (July 22, 2020)

• Frequently asked questions:  COVID-19 and school employee rights and protections in the workplace (July 31, 2020)

• COVID-19 workers' compensation claims statistics (updated Oct. 9, 2020) (PowerPoint presentation)

• Frequently asked questions for employers and employees related to COVID-19 (July 28, 2020)

  • What should I do if an employee is suspected or confirmed to have COVID-19?

• Minnesota OSHA printable handouts and resources related to COVID-19

• Minnesota worker resource guide for employees in processing and manufacturing plants (May 1, 2020)

• Worker protections related to COVID-19 – English | Hmong | Somali | Spanish

• Workers' compensation bill:  Bill language | Bill summary | Frequently asked questions (updated April 14, 2020)

  This legislation creates a presumption for workers’ compensation coverage of first responders, certain workers at a corrections, detention or secure treatment facility, and certain health and child care workers who contract COVID-19. View related information from MWCIA.

• Unemployment insurance:  Visit www.uimn.org. Labor and Industry does not oversee this area. Inquiries must go to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.

• No walk-in customers or visitors at offices:  Labor and Industry is no longer allowing walk-in customers and visitors at our office locations until further notice. For assistance, contact our staff members via phone or email from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays. Hmong | Somali | Spanish

Labor Standards

• Frequently asked questions for employers and employees related to COVID-19 (July 28, 2020)

Construction trades information, exams and licenses

• DLI license exams:  License exams resumed June 29, 2020. Learn more and schedule an exam.

• License applications:  Due to restrictions on the number of staff who can be in our building, license applications that are dropped off or mailed are being processed once a week. Apply or renew online for the fastest processing.

• Construction inspection requirements for municipalities and help for contractors.

• Inspections and permits:  Updates for electrical, elevator, high-pressure piping, boiler, manufactured structures, building and plumbing permits and inspections:

  • Construction permits continue to be issued. Apply for a permit online.

  • Inspections to critical sectors exempt from the Stay at Home order will continue. These include residential and non-residential building construction.

• Plumbing:  Guidance about flushing building water systems after periods of low or no water use.

• Building official training:  Building official limited and accessibility training courses will be conducted virtually Oct. 26-30.

• Board and council meeting cancellations and updates.

• 2020 National Electrical Code adoption delayed:  Adoption of the 2020 National Electrical Code (NEC) has been delayed and did not become effective in Minnesota on July 1, 2020, as anticipated. The Board of Electricity received 25 valid requests for hearing regarding the adoption of the 2020 NEC. That hearing was held on Aug. 19, 2020. The administrative law judge has until Oct. 15, 2020, to issue a hearing report. The board will review that report and comply with the necessary steps in the adoption process.

Apprenticeship

• For apprenticeship program sponsors: Guidelines for suspending or postponing training operations.

• Apprenticeship Advisory Board meeting changes.

Minnesota OSHA

• Minnesota OSHA printable handouts and resources related to COVID-19

Workers' compensation

• Administrative conferences, mediations:  As of Monday, March 23, 2020, the Department of Labor and Industry will conduct administrative conferences and mediations remotely by telephone or video conference. Parties also have the option of rescheduling events to a later date. Contact us at dli.workcomp@state.mn.us or 651-284-5032, or contact your assigned mediator, for more information.

• Copy file review:  DLI's Copy File Review team will be contacting citizens who have appointments scheduled to look at their workers' compensation files, so they can reschedule their appointment 30 days or more in the future. If it is imperative they see their file at their scheduled appointment time, DLI will limit the individual's access to a singular room and the Copy File Review team will ensure social-distancing practices are followed.

• Emailing documents:  Emailing of certain documents is temporarily allowed.

• Rehabilitation consultations:  Until further notice, the Department of Labor and Industry (DLI) will not take any enforcement action under Minnesota Rules 5220.0130 against any qualified rehabilitation consultant (QRC) who conducts a rehabilitation consultation with an injured worker by telephone or video, rather than in person. DLI encourages QRCs to limit in-person meetings and implement social-distancing measures when providing a rehabilitation consultation and other rehabilitation services to injured workers. Placement vendors and their staff members, who meet with injured workers, are also encouraged to conduct meetings by phone or video.

• Work Comp Campus:  Work Comp Campus launch delayed as stakeholders prepare; Campus will launch Nov. 2, 2020. We remain available to address questions you have at dli.wcmp@state.mn.us.

• Workers' compensation bill:  Bill language | Bill summary | Frequently asked questions (updated April 14, 2020)
  This legislation creates a presumption for workers’ compensation coverage of first responders, certain workers at a corrections, detention or secure treatment facility, and certain health and child care workers who contract COVID-19. View related information from MWCIA.