Minnesota Chases Level III

What is the MN CHASE program?

In 2002, the Associated General Contractors of Minnesota (AGC) and Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MNOSHA) met to discuss a partnership charter that acknowledged the need to provide a safe and healthy work environment in the construction industry. The result was the Construction Health and Safety Excellence (CHASE) Minnesota partnership agreement.

According to the MN Department of Labor and Industry, the specific goals of CHASE Minnesota are:

• To reduce by 3 percent annually the number of injuries, illnesses and fatalities affecting participant employers, with a focus on eliminating injuries and fatalities resulting from those hazards that are the four leading causes of death on construction sites (falls, struck‐by, caught in/or between and electrocutions).
• To increase the number of construction contractors that implement effective safety and health programs and provide effective safety and health training for management, supervisors and employees.
• To recognize those contractors where managers and employees work together to develop safety and health management systems that go beyond basic compliance with all applicable OSHA standards and result in immediate and long‐term prevention of job‐related injuries and illnesses.
• To promote open lines of communication between MNOSHA and the construction industry in pursuit of safety.

The CHASE Minnesota program is a three-level award, designed to recognize AGC member contractors for their safety programs and performance.

What does the MN CHASE award mean to Adolfson & Peterson Construction?

In 2003, Adolfson & Peterson Construction (AP) was the first contractor to participate in the CHASE program. AP has recently partnered with Hunt Electric (a CHASE Level 3 award recipient) on the East Side Storage and Maintenance Facility project, located in Minneapolis, MN. By partnering with a Level 3 contractor, AP has been invited to participate in monthly site-specific compliance meetings with Hunt Electric, AGC and MNOSHA. Currently, AP is a CHASE Level 2 contractor with the goal of reaching Level 3 status as soon as possible.