Severe Workplace Injuries in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Employers in Minneapolis reported 11 severe work injuries to OSHA from 2016 through September 2024: 9 workers hospitalized and 2 amputations (18% of reports). Transportation and warehousing accounts for the most reports. OSHA opened an inspection after 3 of them.
Reports by year
Industries
How workers were hurt
Parts of the body injured
OSHA inspections in Minneapolis since 2015
Workplace safety inspectors opened 3,802 inspections at Minneapolis workplaces, and 2,180 of them (57%) ended with at least one violation. Inspectors cited 4,052 serious, 2 willful and 86 repeat violations, with current penalties totaling $5,716,962.
Rules cited most often:
Recent inspections with penalties
| Employer | Violations | Penalty |
|---|---|---|
| 112010 - Cold Front Distribution LLC (planned, details) | 1 | $420 |
| 111982 - Instantwhip Minneapolis Inc (planned, details) | 3 (2 serious+) | $1,500 |
| 112003 - Minger Construction Companies Inc (planned, details) | 5 (5 serious+) | $16,400 |
| 111941 - El Hornito Supermercado Inc (planned, details) | 3 (2 serious+) | $1,750 |
| 111928 - Bellboy Corp (planned, details) | 1 (1 serious+) | $480 |
| 111929 - Midwest Editions Inc (follow-up, details) | 1 (1 serious+) | $1,800 |
| 111922 - Us Med-Equip LLC (planned, details) | 3 (2 serious+) | $5,600 |
| 111910 - Pohl Food Service Inc (planned, details) | 4 (2 serious+) | $1,500 |
| 111917 - Dayco Concrete Company Inc (planned, details) | 1 | $120 |
| 111918 - Nordstrom Architectural Sheet Metal - Roofing Inc (planned, details) | 1 | $300 |
| 111887 - Scherer Bros Lumber Co (planned, details) | 1 | $420 |
| 111869 - Nieman Roofing Co Inc (planned, details) | 1 (1 serious+) | $990 |
Penalties as currently recorded by OSHA; they can drop after settlement or contest. Inspection data covers federal OSHA inspections and state-run safety program inspections reported to OSHA.
Most recent reports
The 11 newest severe injury reports from Minneapolis employers, as OSHA published them.
Sep 9, 2024 · U.S. Postal Service- Processing & Distribution Center Amputation
On September 9, 2024, an employee was operating the dual pass rough cull (DPRC) machine when their left index finger contacted the chain belt, resulting in amputation of the fingertip.
Caught, entangled in running powered equipment normal operation · Finger or thumb tip(s), nail(s) · Transportation and warehousing · OSHA inspection 1776728
Aug 7, 2024 · MA Mortenson Company dba Mortenson Construction Amputation
On August 7, 2024, an employee was unloading jersey barriers from a forklift when his right middle finger was caught between a piece of dunnage and the asphalt and was partially amputated.
Caught or wedged between objects nonrunning · Other finger(s) (other) · Construction
Mar 17, 2024 · U.S. Postal Service- Processing & Distribution Center Hospitalized
On March 17, 2024, at approximately 11:50 p.m., an employee was operating a ride-on electric pallet jack on the loading dock after loading a truck when he was struck by an all-purpose container (APC) that had fallen off the forks of another electric pallet jack that was being operated nearby. The APC struck the employee in the lower left leg, resulting in a fracture and hospitalization.
Struck by other falling object (other) · Lower leg(s) · Transportation and warehousing
Oct 4, 2023 · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Admin, Minneapolis VA Health Care System Hospitalized
On October 4, 2023, an employee was performing a walkaround of the grounds when they fell off the edge of a sidewalk onto their shoulder. The employee suffered a left humerus fracture and dislocation, requiring hospitalization and surgery.
Fall on same level · Upper arm(s) · Health care and social assistance · OSHA inspection 1705665
Sep 22, 2023 · Target Corporation Hospitalized
An employee was stocking items on a shelf in a bent position. When the employee stood up, she experienced lower back pain and mobility difficulties due to a lumbar back strain.
Multiple types of overexertions and bodily reactions · Lumbar region · Transportation and warehousing
Apr 17, 2019 · Target Corporation Hospitalized
An employee was ascending a ladder to stock items when her foot slipped from the second step (approximately 21" from the floor). She tried to grab onto the ladder to steady herself but missed and fell. Her left leg and knee struck the ladder, a shelf, or both. She suffered a fractured left knee/tibia.
Other fall to lower level less than 6 feet · Knee(s) and leg(s) · Retail
Feb 5, 2019 · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Admin, Minneapolis VA Health Care System Hospitalized
On February 5, 2019, at approximately 12:10 a.m., a housekeeping employee was walking in the facility parking lot to their vehicle when the employee slipped on ice and fell, fracturing the right hip.
Fall on same level due to slipping · Hip(s) · Health care and social assistance
Oct 10, 2018 · U.S. POSTAL SERVICE Hospitalized
At 3:00 p.m. on October 10, 2018, an employee fell while entering an elevator. The employee's forehead struck the rail, suffering an abrasion; the employee's humerus was broken when they landed on their shoulder on the elevator floor.
Fall on same level · Upper arm(s) · Transportation and warehousing · OSHA inspection 1362595
May 26, 2018 · U.S. Postal Service - Brooklyn Center Branch Hospitalized
At 2:00 p.m. on May 26, 2018, a city mail carrier began vomiting after completing a route. The employee was hospitalized for heat exhaustion.
Exposure to environmental heat · Body systems · Transportation and warehousing
Feb 7, 2017 · U.S. Postal Service Minnehaha Station Hospitalized
An employee slipped in the vehicle parking lot while walking to a tow truck and fractured the right femur.
Fall on same level due to slipping · Hip(s) · Transportation and warehousing
Jun 16, 2016 · U.S. Dept. of Transportation, Federal Aviation Admin., Minneapolis Air Traffic Control Tower Hospitalized
On or about June 16, 2016, at 7:20 a.m., an employee was moving sheets of paper when the paper shifted, aggravating the employee's pre-existing back trouble. The employee was hospitalized with back strain and lower back muscle spasms.
Bending, crawling, reaching, twisting-single episode · Lumbar region · Transportation and warehousing
After a workplace injury in Minnesota
Most work injuries are handled through workers' compensation, which pays medical bills and part of lost wages whether or not anyone was at fault, and usually rules out suing the employer. A separate claim may be possible against someone else, such as an equipment maker or another company on the site. Reporting deadlines are short, so tell your employer about an injury right away.
Workers compensation lawyers in Minneapolis
Lawbamba lists 72 workers compensation lawyers with an office in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the practice area that deals with the workplace injury and OSHA inspection records on this page. These 4 come first in that listing (how the order is set).
Matched by practice area and office location only. These lawyers are not connected to the records on this page and have not reviewed or endorsed it.
Hurt at work in Minneapolis?
Compare workers' comp lawyers in MinneapolisSource: OSHA's Severe Injury Reports, 2015 through November 2025 (loaded November 9, 2026). Employers must report any work-related amputation, loss of an eye or in-patient hospitalization to OSHA within 24 hours. Employer names, addresses and incident descriptions are as OSHA publishes them. A report records an injury, not a finding that the employer broke a rule; OSHA opens an inspection for some reports. The data covers workplaces under federal OSHA. States that run their own OSHA program (such as California, Washington, Michigan, North Carolina and Virginia) are mostly missing, and work-related deaths are reported separately.
Lawbamba is not affiliated with OSHA or the Department of Labor, and this page is general information, not legal advice.