Severe Workplace Injuries in Whitefish, Montana
Employers in Whitefish reported 10 severe work injuries to OSHA from 2016 through March 2025: 8 workers hospitalized and 2 amputations (20% of reports). Arts, entertainment and recreation accounts for the most reports. OSHA opened an inspection after 4 of them.
Reports by year
Industries
How workers were hurt
Parts of the body injured
OSHA inspections in Whitefish since 2016
Workplace safety inspectors opened 38 inspections at Whitefish workplaces, and 18 of them (47%) ended with at least one violation. Inspectors cited 26 serious, 0 willful and 0 repeat violations, with current penalties totaling $60,329.
Rules cited most often:
Recent inspections with penalties
| Employer | Violations | Penalty |
|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah Johnson Brewing Company (planned, details) | 3 (1 serious+) | $1,277 |
| Manito Super 1 Foods, Inc (referral, details) | 1 | $8,275 |
| R Porch Construction Inc (referral, details) | 2 | $3,918 |
| Les Schwab Tire Centers Of Montana LLC (planned, details) | 1 (1 serious+) | $3,415 |
| Montana Roof Worx LLC (planned, details) | 1 (1 serious+) | $1,607 |
| Warner Construction, Inc. (unprogrammed, details) | 1 (1 serious+) | $1,989 |
| Don K Chevrolet, Inc. (planned, details) | 7 (6 serious+) | $7,461 |
| Watson Excavating, Inc. (planned, details) | 2 (2 serious+) | $2,360 |
| Tops Construction, Inc (planned, details) | 1 (1 serious+) | $2,273 |
| Cutting Edge Excavation, LLC (planned, details) | 2 (2 serious+) | $3,382 |
| Prestige Roofing (planned, details) | 1 (1 serious+) | $1,663 |
| Flathead Motor Co., Inc (planned, details) | 3 (2 serious+) | $5,444 |
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 10 newest severe injury reports from Whitefish employers, as OSHA published them.
Mar 15, 2025 · Super 1 Foods Amputation
An employee was cutting pork with a band saw when his left hand was caught by the saw and the index and middle fingers were amputated. A guard was in place at the time.
Struck by running powered equipment (other) · Other finger(s) (other) · Wholesale trade · OSHA inspection 1813028
Feb 16, 2024 · R Porch Construction Inc Hospitalized
An employee fell backward out of a scissor lift onto a concrete slab 6 feet below. He hit the back of his head and suffered a broken lower skull. He was hospitalized.
Other fall to lower level 6 to 30 feet · Skull · Construction · OSHA inspection 1729361
Aug 1, 2023 · Clydesdale Hitch LLC Hospitalized
Employees were inside a food truck preparing it for the following day. As employee 1 went to ignite the pilot light, the food truck exploded, throwing employee 1 from the truck. Employee 1 sustained burns. Employee 2 was thrown into the sink area and crawled through flames to get out of the truck, sustaining third-degree burns to 30% of her body.
Explosion (other) · Multiple body parts · Hotels and restaurants · OSHA inspection 1689501
Aug 9, 2022 · Winter Sports Inc. Hospitalized
An employee was teaching a downhill mountain bike class when he went over a small jump. The bike struck a deer as it landed, and he flew off. He suffered six broken ribs, a broken collarbone, a broken scapula, and a punctured lung. He was hospitalized.
Pedal cycle collision in nonroadway area · Chest, except internal location of diseases or disorders · Arts, entertainment and recreation
Jan 28, 2020 · Don K Chevrolet Hospitalized
An employee was walking out onto a new car sales lot when the employee slipped on ice, suffering a broken ankle.
Fall on same level due to slipping · Ankle(s) · Retail
Nov 11, 2019 · RE Investment Company Amputation
An employee's left hand was caught between the deck of a trailer and a piece of equipment as the trailer bed was lowering. The little finger was amputated.
Compressed or pinched by shifting objects or equipment · Finger(s), fingernail(s) (other) · Construction
Jul 26, 2018 · Winter Sports Inc. Hospitalized
While cutting away brush, an employee picked up a piece of brush that had a brush cutter attached to it. The blade cut his left hand.
Injured by slipping or swinging object held by injured worker · Hand(s) · Arts, entertainment and recreation
Sep 10, 2016 · Don K Chevrolet Hospitalized
An employee was riding around the sales lot in a golf cart and fell out of the golf cart suffering head trauma.
Fall or jump from vehicle in normal operation, nonroadway · Brain · Retail
Jun 26, 2016 · Winter Sports Inc. Hospitalized
An employee was working on a wok. A vegetable oil aerosol can located on the counter next to the wok overheated and expelled oil from the bottom vents of the can. The can fell over and rolled at which point it caught fire from the wok. The employee received second degree burns.
Ignition of vapors, gases, or liquids · Nonclassifiable · Arts, entertainment and recreation
Feb 20, 2016 · Winter Sports Inc Hospitalized
An employee was using a wrench to remove snow that was blocking the magic carpet conveyor belt machine. As soon as the snow was released, the conveyor started going again and grabbed the wrench. When the employee tried to grab the tool, she was trapped under the conveyor belt bar, breaking her right humerus.
Caught in running equipment or machinery during maintenance, cleaning · Upper arm(s) · Hotels and restaurants · OSHA inspection 1129920
After a workplace injury in Montana
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 Montana
Lawbamba lists 49 workers compensation lawyers with an office in Montana, 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 Whitefish?
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Source: 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.