1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to workers' compensation; providing for a 
  1.3             pilot project to provide occupational health and 
  1.4             safety assistance to small businesses; providing for 
  1.5             an evaluation of injury and illness prevention for 
  1.6             small businesses; appropriating money. 
  1.7   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.8      Section 1.  [SMALL BUSINESS WORKERS' COMPENSATION SAFETY 
  1.9   PILOT PROJECT.] 
  1.10     The commissioner of commerce shall by July 1, 1995, 
  1.11  contract with the division of environmental and occupational 
  1.12  health of the school of public health of the University of 
  1.13  Minnesota for a pilot injury prevention project.  The contract 
  1.14  shall require the division of environmental and occupational 
  1.15  health to consult and provide assistance about ergonomic 
  1.16  problems to small employers insured by the state assigned risk 
  1.17  plan.  The consultative and assistance services shall focus on 
  1.18  employers having employees that can most benefit from the 
  1.19  consultation and assistance.  The contract shall be for the 
  1.20  period July 1, 1995, to June 30, 1997.  For the purpose of this 
  1.21  section, small employer means an employer with less than 500 
  1.22  employees. 
  1.23     Sec. 2.  [SMALL BUSINESS INJURY AND ILLNESS PREVENTION 
  1.24  SURVEY.] 
  1.25     The division of environmental and occupational health of 
  1.26  the school of public health of the University of Minnesota shall 
  2.1   evaluate injury and illness prevention activities of small 
  2.2   business by surveying small businesses to assess the following: 
  2.3      (1) current use of occupational safety and health services 
  2.4   by small businesses; 
  2.5      (2) specific areas in which small business needs 
  2.6   assistance; 
  2.7      (3) in what form is desired assistance most helpful; 
  2.8      (4) what services are sponsored by public and private 
  2.9   sector programs; 
  2.10     (5) what measures exist to assess the effectiveness of 
  2.11  these programs; and 
  2.12     (6) how can these programs be best adapted by Minnesota. 
  2.13     The division shall provide technical assistance and advice 
  2.14  to small businesses as part of the survey process. 
  2.15     The survey shall be completed by January 1, 1997.  The 
  2.16  division shall report the survey results and any recommendations 
  2.17  to the legislature and the commissioner of labor and industry by 
  2.18  February 1, 1997. 
  2.19     Sec. 3.  [APPROPRIATION; PILOT PROJECT.] 
  2.20     $....... is appropriated from the assigned risk safety 
  2.21  account in the special compensation fund to the commissioner of 
  2.22  commerce for the biennium ending June 30, 1997, for the purpose 
  2.23  of section 1. 
  2.24     Sec. 4.  [APPROPRIATION; SURVEY.] 
  2.25     $....... is appropriated for the biennium ending June 30, 
  2.26  1997, from the assigned risk safety account in the special 
  2.27  compensation fund to the board of regents of the University of 
  2.28  Minnesota for the purpose of section 2.