Check your VOC levels for 2024

If you used to have an air quality permit but were able to void it (as an insignificant source or conditionally insignificant source of emissions), you still need to keep a record of your VOC totals. Request a 2024 year end VOC report from your suppliers.

If your total VOC purchases were getting close to 2000 gallons, please let us know immediately as you could be required to apply for a permit.

Safety Committee time

Any company in Minnesota that falls under the MN AWAIR (A Workplace Accident and Injury Reduction) standard, regardless of size, or that has 25 or more employees must have a labor management safety committee. So, even if you only have four employees, you may need to have a documented safety committee meeting. We recommend you meet at least twice a year.

Keep documentation about what was discussed, who attended, and any action items. Safety committee meetings can be a very useful tool to help identify and reduce hazards, engage employees, and help communicate safety to employees. Some of the topics that might be discussed or activities of the safety committee might include:

• Address any safety concerns
• Conduct area inspections looking for hazards and checking emergency equipment
• Follow up with open items from prior meetings
• Discuss ways to prevent injuries
• Review the AWAIR program annually
• Train new employees about safety
• Assist in accident investigations to identify ways to prevent similar incidents

You can view the most recent list of industries that fall under the AWAIR program here. This list was updated in February 2025. MNOSHA has an information sheet on safety committees here.

Goings and Comings

Mary Dipping will be leaving CHESS at the end of March. While we will greatly miss her and all the work she has done, we wish her the very best as she pursues a different career.  Mary wanted us to relay this message to everyone:

Hi all.  I’m writing to inform you that I’ll be stepping away from my role at CHESS at the end of March. I have sincerely enjoyed getting to work with you all over these past four years. It’s been so rewarding to watch you grow and implement safer work practices in your companies.

As some of you may know, in addition to my work at CHESS, I am a group fitness instructor and certified personal trainer. In both my safety and my fitness work, I’ve found so much joy in connecting with others and helping people stay healthy and avoid injuries. Unfortunately, it’s come to a point where I cannot juggle both in my schedule and as much as I’ve loved my time at CHESS, I’ve made the difficult decision to pursue my fitness career full-time. – Wishing you all the best in the future. Mary

 For assistance after March 27, feel free to reach out to Solana or Carol.

 As Mary leaves, Ann Oelrich arrives, joining us this month. Ann is a Certified Safety Professional, with a Master’s in Environmental Health and Safety from University of Minnesota-Duluth and a B.S. degree in Industrial Engineering. We first met her years ago when she was a Safety Investigator for MNOSHA. She has also worked as a consultant for an insurance company, a safety engineer in Global Lab safety for 3M, and an Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Manager in manufacturing facilities. She has developed expertise in many areas including lockout/tagout, electrical safety, emergency response, and regulations.

Slip Simulator

Slips and falls are more common in winter when conditions can be icy, but they occur throughout the year. Do you ever wish there was a way to train employees how to walk in icy or slippery conditions? Well, there actually is a way. A Virginia company, InBiodyn, developed a slip simulator that trains people how to avoid slip and falls. MNDOT purchased one of their units and has had extremely positive feedback from employees who have been trained on the simulator. CHESS is working with InBiodyn to possibly have them bring their training trailer to Minnesota in fall (to prevent falls). If you are interested in hearing more about this training, please contact Carol.

Staying safe during the “Quaddemic”

It isn’t just COVID (which is still around). There are four major viruses spreading at the same time (thus, “quaddemic”): COVID-19, flu (influenza), RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) and norovirus. For more information about these different viruses, symptoms and protecting yourself, see this article by Commit2Care.org. Commit2Care is a joint venture between the American Industrial Hygiene Association and the Integrated Bioscience and Built Environment Consortium. Their goal is to make “workplaces and communities safe from infectious diseases”.

News and updates

For anyone who subscribes to CHESS SDSLinks, new cards will be coming out the end of March. The old passwords will expire April 1.

Janet will be presenting on May 6 at the Minnesota Safety Conference hosted by the MN Safety Council. For more information and early bird registration (before March 28) go here.