MNOSHA Workplace Safety Consultation: Safety Grant Program

Submitted by MN OSHA Workplace Safety Consultation

The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry’s Minnesota OSHA (MNOSHA) Workplace Safety Consultation (WSC) administers the state’s Safety Grant Program, which provides reimbursement funding grants of up to $10,000 to employers incorporating hazard controls designed to reduce workplace injuries and illnesses while enhancing workplace safety and health. This entirely state-funded grant program operates on Minnesota’s fiscal year (July through June) and is broken into six, two-month cycles when MNOSHA WSC fields and evaluates grant applications.

As part of the application process, grantees must provide detailed information about their project, including a hazard assessment identifying specific hazards to be addressed, as well as information about how employee safety and health will be impacted in the workplace when the project is complete. Grant applications are ranked and scored individually, with priority consideration being given to industries identified by MNOSHA with significant hazard exposures.

Effective April 16, 2025, priority consideration includes:  cave-in protection associated with excavation and trenching; prevention of hazards associated with grain-handling facilities; fall prevention in residential construction; struck-by and crushed-by hazard prevention (back-up cameras); prevention of hazards associated with workplace violence (public sector); and health hazard reduction – equipment that reduces employee exposure to health hazards (ventilation and engineering controls).  

In state-fiscal-year 2024, MNOSHA WSC received 244 safety grant applications and was able to award more than $700,000 in safety grants to 130 applicants. Awarded safety grant projects included:  fall protection equipment; trench boxes; boom-supported aerial lifts; fixed industrial ladder cages; exhaust ventilation systems; ergonomic material-lifting equipment; personal protective equipment (including respiratory protection); patient-lifting equipment; and hazardous-atmosphere detection equipment.

When considering potential future impacts of the Safety Grant Program, MNOSHA WSC expects to continue endorsing impactful projects to bolster workplace safety and health for employees throughout Minnesota across a wide array of industries with both distinct and complex hazards.

LEARN MORE & APPLY ONLINE: Safety Grant Program webpage.

About MNOSHA Workplace Safety Consultation
MNOSHA Workplace Safety Consultation provides free consultation services upon request to employers to assist them in their safety and health efforts without citations or penalties. Priority is given to small employers, especially those in high-hazard industries. The only employer obligation is a commitment to correct serious hazards in a timely manner. Your company’s name and file are confidential and not available to MNOSHA Compliance.