Employees at Minneapolis-area hospital where doctor was shot had asked for increased safety

Nurses at a Twin Cities-area hospital last year asked administrators to provide better protection in parking areas, reporting that some employees were hiring taxis to get from the hospital to their cars in the interest of safety. Last Monday night, a doctor was shot in the head in the hospital’s parking garage in an attempted robbery as he walked to his car. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Minnesota bar challenges mask-related fine

A Hastings, Minnesota bar restaurant has been fined $7,000 by MNOSHA based on an eyewitness complaint that an employee removed his face mask after stepping outdoors. The owner says inspectors arrived unexpectedly on a Saturday morning and asked for her COVID-19 Preparedness Plan, and she produced that. KARE (Minneapolis)

Chicago Walgreens removed security guard months before fatal stabbing of employee, attorney says

The family of a 32-year-old Walgreens employee who was fatally stabbed while working on September 6 wants the drugstore chain to explain why it hired and then removed a security guard from the store earlier this year. The family’s attorney says the store where she worked was robbed in February, which prompted the hiring of a security guard. That security guard was removed the next month, according to the attorney. Chicago Sun-Times

Wildfire smoke shuts down some construction sites in Seattle region

The smoky skies are the second monumental challenge for the construction industry in Washington state in 2020. Puget Sound Business Journal [may require registration]

Witness says colleague made sure harness was secure before fatally falling from Florida attraction

A witness says the 21-year-old victim in a fatal fall at an Orlando tourist attraction checked to make sure his harness was secure, and was a “stickler” about being tied-off completely before climbing. The man said he was 10 to 15 feet above his coworker when he heard a noise, looked down and saw him hit a crossbeam and fall. Click Orlando

Lawsuit filed in fatal 2018 tower collapse in Missouri

The family of a 56-year-old employee who was killed in 2018 when a nearly 2,000-foot tall television tower in southwest Missouri collapsed is suing Missouri State University for wrongful death. Fed-OSHA determined the removal of key bolts during a bracing procedure caused the tower to collapse. The lawsuit alleges the supports provided to the employee to complete the bracing work were incorrect, forcing the work crew to drill new bolt holes. Salina Post

OR-OSHA fines pharmacy over pandemic-related hazards

Oregon OSHA says its inspectors observed both customer and worker interactions inside and outside of a Lakeview, Oregon pharmacy and that the store failed to provide health hazard control measures including face covering and social distancing to protect about nine employees from COVID-19 exposure. KDRV