employees, written information on those substances or agents. This written information on hazardous substances is usually in the form of a material safety data sheet (MSDS) which can be obtained from the manufacturer of the substance. Material safety data sheets will provide the basic information that must be presented in the oral training program. The Employee Right-to-Know Standard is being enforced as part of the Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health program. The standard provides guidelines concerning the type of information that must be included in the written training program, how often training must be provided, requirements for documentation and maintenance of training records, and labeling of hazardous substance containers and equipment that generates a harmful physical agent or infectious agents. The standard also includes lists of hazardous substances, harmful physical agents and infectious agents to assist employers in evaluating their workplaces. Information about the Employee Right- to-Know Standard is available at MNOSHA Compliance: Standards and R e gulations . Questions concerning the Employee Right-to-Know Act may be directed to one of the Occupational Safety and Health Division offices, also listed in the Resource Directory section of this Guide. WORKPLACE SAFETY CONSULTATION The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry Workplace Safety Consultation (WSC) offers a number of programs, including a grant program, to employers to identify potential hazards at their work sites and improve their safety management systems. For more information on these topics, see MNOSHA Workplace Safety Consultation . Safety Consultation WSC offers free, confidential assistance, on request, to help employers improve their safety and health record, lower the cost of accidents and reduce OSHA-issue citations and penalties. This program targets small, high-hazard businesses. No citations or penalties are issued as a result of using these services, although any problems identified by a WSC consultant that are not corrected by the employer can be reported to MN OSHA Compliance staff for further investigation. WSC consultants will help employers recognize hazards, make recommendations for solving problems and suggest other sources of help that may be available. In order to receive these services, the employer must commit to the timely correction of any serious safety or health hazard that may be found during the site visit by WSC consultants. Once an employer makes that commitment, the WCS consultant conducts a site visit and issues a report containing recommendations. Minnesota Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (MNSHARP) MNSHARP is a voluntary, consultation-based program that assists small, high-hazard employers in achieving safety and health improvements and recognizes them for doing so. Eligibility is limited to employers with up to 250 employees at the work site and not more than 500 at all sites corporation-wide; priority is given to employers with fewer than 100 employees. Participating
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