Twin Cities company fined after employee drowns while scuba diving
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A Twin Cities-area aquatic plant removal company is facing a $730,000 fine from the state, after a worker drowned in May.
The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry issued the fine to Columbia Heights-based Your Lake Aquatic Plant Management, following an investigation into the death of the employee who was removing weeds from Lac Lavon Lake in Apple Valley.
KARE 11 identified the person who died as 18-year-old Joseph Anderson of Plymouth, who was a Bethel University student.
A summary of the state investigation states that it was Anderson’s first dive, and alleges that he did not receive proper training. The summary claims that a coworker who was not scuba-certified gave him instructions for 10 to 15 minutes before the dive. Anderson reportedly was found wearing scuba gear, but with the regulator out of his mouth.
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The state also alleges that no employees on the scene were trained in CPR and first aid; that the company did not designate someone to oversee the dive or to be a standby diver; and that the company did not have a safe practices manual for dives. All are required by Minnesota labor law.
The DLI statement said aquatic weed removal can be dangerous, involving hauling heavy bundles out of the water in varying water conditions.
“Every person should be able to go to work and come home safely. This was a tragic and preventable loss,” DLI Commissioner Nicole Blissenbach said in the statement. “It’s the responsibility of all employers to follow health and safety laws and keep their employers safe at work.”
Your Lake Aquatic Plant Management has filed notice to contest the fine. A spokesperson for the company declined to share more details about the process.
“All of the alleged violations are being contested in good faith,” the spokesperson said. “Please continue to keep the family in your prayers.”
Anderson’s obituary remembered him as a “faith-filled, energetic, and hardworking young man who made the most of his short time on earth.” It described him as “an entrepreneur and businessman at heart” who was on track to earn a bachelor’s degree by age 20.
The May incident in Apple Valley was the second case of a Minnesota worker drowning while using scuba equipment in recent years, according to the DLI. An employee of a different weed removal company drowned in June 2022.
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