North Dakota Seed Company to Pay $225K OSHA Penalty After Employee Injury

A Fargo, N. D., birdseed production company has reached a settlement with a federal agency that investigated a severe and life-altering injury to an employee.

The probe by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration stemmed from an incident in August when a Red River Commodities employee suffered multiple lacerations and the partial amputation of his leg when caught in an operating grain bin auger.

OSHA cited the company with numerous violations of the agency’s grain handling, confined space, machine safety and electrical safety regulations. Inspectors also found that the company did not sufficiently train workers to recognize hazards and take proper safety measures.

Under terms of the agreement, the company must pay a penalty of $225,000 and provide immediate and annual training to employees on grain bin entry procedures and hazards, as well as revise other procedures.

“This tragedy was preventable,” OSHA Area Director Scott Overson said. “Red River officials are now working with OSHA to abate the safety hazards at the Fargo work site and ensure compliance at its facilities nationwide.”