News from the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry

August 2026

Dangers of working in hot conditions: Steps, tools to prevent heat illness

Extreme heat is the deadliest weather-related hazard in the U.S., causing more deaths than flooding, tornadoes and hurricanes combined, according to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). Although heat-related illness is preventable, thousands of workers become ill in hot or humid conditions each year and some cases are fatal. Nearly three out of four fatalities happen during the first week of work because employees have not yet acclimatized. Employers are responsible for protecting workers by providing water, rest and shade, allowing acclimatization, planning for emergencies, training workers and monitoring for signs of illness. Additional resources are available from Minnesota OSHA Compliance, MDH’s Extreme Heat toolkit, federal OSHA’s Heat Illness Prevention Campaign and the National Weather Service HeatRisk tool.

Webinar:  What to know about youth employment during the school year 

This webinar will provide an overview of Minnesota’s child labor laws as they apply during the school year. Learn about age restrictions, permitted work hours, job types and employer responsibilities.

• Sept. 10, from 10:30-11:30 a.m. Register for the webinar.

Workplace Rights Week Workplace Rights Week will take place Sept. 13-19, 2026. The week highlights the importance of educating workers and employers about their rights and responsibilities in the workplace. Safe and healthy workplaces strengthen Minnesota’s economy and communities, and it’s essential that Minnesotans understand their workplace rights and feel empowered to assert them. Find more information and a social media toolkit at dli.mn.gov/rights-week.

New edition of the Apprenticeship Works newsletter available

Minnesota recently marked a milestone of having more than 12,000 registered apprentices. Catch up on more news about apprenticeship in the new edition of the Apprenticeship Works newsletter. Also, register for events to learn about resources for apprentices and apprenticeship programs.

Dual-Training Pipeline 101 webinar is Aug. 25

Hear about the basics of employment-based training and advice about how to set up a dual-training initiative at your company at our next Dual-Training Pipeline 101 webinar at 9 a.m. on Aug. 25. Register for the webinar.

New edition of Safety Lines newsletter available online

The July edition of Safety Lines, the quarterly newsletter from Minnesota OSHA, was published and is available online. Sign-up to receive news via email about the publication.

MNOSHA fatality, serious-injury investigation summaries online

Each month, Minnesota OSHA (MNOSHA) Compliance publishes current, updated summaries of its fatality investigations and serious-injury investigations.

For the federal-fiscal-year that began Oct. 1, 2025, MNOSHA has investigated 27 fatalities through July 30.

The information provided about each investigation is:  the inspection number, date of incident and worksite city; the type of business and number of employees; a description of the event; and the outcome of the MNOSHA Compliance investigation.

• View the summaries.

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The Department of Labor and Industry ensures Minnesota's work and living environments are equitable, healthy and safe.