Occupational Health and Safety

The mission of the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Occupational Health and Safety Program is to improve worker safety and health in Minnesota. Working in collaboration with organized labor, workers, business, schools, government, academia, and other stakeholders, the MDH Occupational Health and Safety Program focuses on the surveillance, investigation, and reduction of preventable workplace injuries, illnesses, and hazards among Minnesota’s working population.

A strategic goal of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is to strengthen the capacity of state health departments to conduct occupational surveillance and related prevention activities. In 2010, Minnesota became one of 23 states funded by NIOSH to promote surveillance of occupational safety and health. The Minnesota Occupational Health and Safety Surveillance Program greatly expands the capacity of MDH to promote occupational health and safety through surveillance of a core set of occupational health indicators and dissemination of the findings to appropriate stakeholders for use in setting priorities for education and prevention activities.