Minnesota Corrections Dept. Fined by Labor Agency

The Minnesota Corrections Department (MCD) was fined $34,000 in March by that state's Labor and Industry Department, after MCD failed to respond properly to an incident at the Stillwater Correctional Facility in which two officers were involved in breaking up a disturbance between inmates, one of whom was HIV positive.

According to the Labor and Industry Department, MCD violated the Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1973 and the guidelines established by the Centers for Disease Control. The most serious violation was the department's Exposure Control Plan which was deemed "inadequate to eliminate or minimize exposure to blood and/or other potentially infectious materials." MCD was also cited for having no follow-up procedures after corrections employees were exposed to blood-borne pathogens. The action stemmed from a complaint made by AFSCME Council 6, after the incident occurred in November, 1995.

The Occupational Safety and Health Division of the Labor Department found that the prison did not follow the procedure set up after an incident in 1992, which also involved blood-borne diseases.