Des Moines, IA—Federal OSHA workplace-safety record

Des Moines, IA

14 severe-injury reports between 2015-02-10 and 2025-06-23, 1,772 OSHA inspections, and 2,690 Form 300/301 injury filings on federal record in Des Moines, Iowa.

Iowa operates its own OSHA-approved State Plan covering private-sector workplaces, so most enforcement in Des Moines, IA is state-run. The federal OSHA records on this page cover only workplaces under federal jurisdiction — they are not a complete picture of workplace safety in the city.

14Severe injuries

14Hospitalizations

1,772OSHA inspections

2,690Injury filings

Employers with the most severe injuries in Des Moines

# Employer Severe-injury reports

1 U.S. Postal Service 8 2 DEPT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS-VA CENTRAL IA HEALTH CARE 3 3 TMC TRANSPORTATION 1 4 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs 1 5 Wright Tree Service 1

Example incidents

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs DES MOINES, IOWA · 2025-06-23 · Fall on same level due to slip or trip
An employee was walking around chairs when they slipped/tripped and fell, resulting in hospitalization with a fractured hip.
U.S. Postal Service DES MOINES, IOWA · 2024-05-08 · Other fall to lower level unspecified
An employee was on top of an APC to access a radio on a shelf when they slipped and fell to the ground. They sustained three fractured ribs, a fractured right scapula and right clavicle, a knot on top of their head, and a laceration to their left leg.
U.S. Postal Service DES MOINES, IOWA · 2021-10-08 · Fall or jump from vehicle in normal operation, nonroadway
An employee was operating a ride-on pallet jack near a loading dock. The pallet jack drove over an uneven surface, causing the pallet jack to eject the employee onto the floor. The employee suffered a broken lower right leg.
U.S. Postal Service DES MOINES, IOWA · 2021-09-15 · Fall on same level due to tripping over an object
An employee was on a workroom floor during a power outage, locking up a reasonable accommodation chair. The employee tripped on a guardrail that was lying on the floor, fell into another guardrail, and suffered a broken left shoulder and broken left-side ribs.
Wright Tree Service DES MOINES, IOWA · 2020-04-06 · Other fall to lower level 16 to 20 feet
On April 6, 2020, an employee climbed a 25-foot pine tree to complete routine maintenance trimming on a two-phase powerline. The employee completed the work on the southwest side of the tree, passed through the center, and began to reposition to the northeast side of the tree. While the employee was repositioning, the limb that he had his work positioning lanyard attached to failed and the employee fell approximately 20 feet to the ground, landing on his back near the base of the tree. The employee was hospitalized with a ruptured diaphragm, collapsed lung, multiple lumbar and thoracic fractures, laceration of the spleen, epidural hematoma, right renal contusion, and multiple rib fractures.
U.S. Postal Service DES MOINES, IOWA · 2020-03-21 · Nonroadway collision with object other than vehicle, n.e.c.
An employee had been dispatching APCs using a ride-on pallet jack and struck an I-beam. The employee was thrown from the pallet jack onto the floor and fractured their right ankle.

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Source: federal OSHA Severe Injury Reports, inspections, and ITA Form 300/301 filings. Counts reflect federal jurisdiction only.