OSHA Archives - KVRR Local News

Authorities identify man killed in South Dakota worksite incident

July 28, 2023

Hami Arain,

WATERTOWN, S.D. (KVRR/KFGO) — Authorities identify a man killed in a worksite accident Tuesday morning just outside Watertown, South Dakota. 47-year-old Quinton Kramer was hit by a bucket of an excavator while working in a gravel pit. Medical personnel tried life-saving measures on scene before Kramer was taken to Prairie Lakes Hospital where he died. OSHA is investigating the circumstances…

Dollar General Hit With $3.4 Million in Fines At Stores in North Dakota, Maine, Ohio and Wisconsin

May 23, 2023

TJ Nelson,

WASHINGTON, D.C. (KVRR) — Dollar General is hit with $3.4 million in new fines after U.S. Department of Labor inspections at nine locations in North Dakota, Maine, Ohio and Wisconsin. Six stores in North Dakota account for $2.5 million in fines alone for 32 violations. The inspections in late 2022 in Casselton, Garrison, Hillsboro, Killdeer, Minot and Tioga found aisles,…

Barn under construction collapses, injuring 10

September 13, 2022

Jim Monk,

courtesy Mike Tanner, KWAT SUMMIT, S.D. (KVRR-KWAT) – Ten workers were injured late Monday afternoon when large, heavy rafters on the east end of a dairy barn they were constructing collapsed on them. It happened just after 5 p.m. southwest of Summit. One person was critically injured. Five people were taken to Prairie Lakes Hospital in Watertown, three to Milbank…

OSHA suspends enforcement of national vaccine mandate

November 17, 2021

Jim Monk,

WASHINGTON (KVRR) – The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has suspended enforcement of a nationwide COVID-19 vaccine mandate for companies that employ more than 100 people. The mandate was suspended in the wake of a federal appeals court order that says OSHA “take no steps to implement or enforce” the mandate “until further court order.” “While OSHA remains confident in…

OSHA, South Dakota pork plant settle coronavirus complaint

November 15, 2021

Jim Monk,

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Federal regulators reached an agreement with Smithfield Foods to settle a contested citation of the company’s coronavirus safety measures during a massive outbreak last year at its South Dakota pork plant. The company will develop a plan to prevent infectious diseases at meatpacking plants nationwide and pay a $13,500 fine. The pork processing plant was one…

Biden mandates vaccines or tests for big companies by January 4

OSHA left open the possibility of expanding the requirement to smaller businesses

November 4, 2021

KVRR Staff,

WASHINGTON – Tens of millions of Americans who work at companies with 100 or more employees will need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by Jan. 4 or get tested for the virus weekly under government rules that took effect Thursday. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration said companies that fail to comply could face penalties of nearly $14,000 per violation….

North Dakota Has Second Highest Rate of Worker Deaths in the U.S.

Union leaders and workers say the low number of OSHA compliance officers contributes to the low mark

April 26, 2019

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FARGO, N.D. — North Dakota is the second worst state for the rate of worker deaths, according to the AFL-CIO’s 2019 safety report. Jeremiah Johnson, an electrician, faces dangers everyday on the job. “There’s voltage shocks you could receive if you’re not wearing proper suits and gear, you lift a lot of heavy things, you lift stuff with cranes, big equipment,”…

Worker Injured At Digi-Key Construction Site Passes Away

OSHA is investigating

November 26, 2018

TJ Nelson,

THIEF RIVER FALLS, MN — The company in charge of the expansion at Digi-Key in Thief River Falls is mourning the loss of a young man working on the project. A spokesman for McShane Construction Company says the man was working for the steel erector when he was hurt in an accident on site on November 6. The worker died 9…

Cass County Electric Co-Op Teaches Workers New Safety Skills

The training is part of Electrical Safety Month

May 17, 2018

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FARGO, N.D. — For several hours, line workers rose up in a bucket truck, scaled an electrical pole in tree–climbing spikes, and tried to save an 180–pound dummy from possible disaster. “They’re learning proper rigging, proper lifting skills, proper, you know, being able to bring them down safely, are just some of the main skills that they’re learning, and then also,…

No Charges Will Be Filed In Airport Runway Death

Painting-Cart Was Hit After Midnight July 31 By Airport's Assistant Director

February 14, 2018

TJ Nelson,

FARGO, N.D. — The assistant director of Hector International Airport will not be charged for a deadly crash on a runway last summer. Darren Anderson was driving on a closed runway after midnight July 31st when he collided with a painting-cart driven by an employee of a private contractor. Cass County prosecutor Ryan Younggren, who reviewed extensive police reports in…