Minnesota Department of Transportation’s Safety Culture initiative takes a proactive approach to improving workplace safety by reducing the agency’s year-over-year recordable injury rate. Recordable injuries have a large impact on both the employee and employer due to income loss, medical expenses, and overall mental health. MnDOT trained employees on pre-task planning, developed an iOS-based risk assessment app, deployed a slip simulator, and incorporated safety stand downs into our best practices.
In 2025, MnDOT trained 657 field staff on daily risk assessment and hazard mitigation, inspiring the development of an iOS app to help workers identify and reduce hazards. At no extra cost, these efforts contributed to a reduction in the 2025 recordable injury rate compared to the five-year average.
By reducing employee injuries, MnDOT is keeping its crews safer and ensuring that critical transportation work is completed more reliably. This enhances roadway safety for the traveling public, minimizes delays and costs associated with crashes or operational downtime, and strengthens the overall efficiency of MnDOT’s operations.
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