A 29-year-old employee was killed early Thursday at the Pilgrim’s Pride meat-processing plant in Cold Spring after he was pinned under equipment in the loading-dock area, according to police. Officers were called to the plant shortly after 1 a.m. Co-workers had already moved the man out from under the machinery by the time first responders arrived, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. His body was taken to the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office while investigators work to piece together what happened.
As reported by the Star Tribune, Cold Spring Police Chief Jason Blum said officers found the man injured on arrival and did not release his name. The paper also noted that Pilgrim’s Pride, which is based in Colorado, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Plant Safety Record and Past Complaints
Federal records show the Cold Spring facility has been on safety regulators’ radar in recent years. According to OSHA, a 2020 complaint at the plant resulted in four serious citations and an initial combined penalty of $28,000. The inspection record now lists those citations as deleted and shows a current penalty of $0. OSHA’s database also links a second complaint to the Cold Spring site within the last decade.
2025 Chemical Spill Sent Workers to Hospital
In June 2025 the facility was evacuated after a container of peracetic acid leaked inside the plant, sending about two dozen employees to a local hospital for evaluation, according to CBS News Minnesota. Pilgrim’s Pride told reporters at the time that most workers were released after treatment and that the spill was contained inside the building.
Investigation and Next Steps
Cold Spring police say Thursday’s fatal incident remains under investigation, and officials are working to determine how the equipment came to pin the worker. Employers are required to report work-related deaths to federal regulators within eight hours, and guidance from OSHA outlines the equipment, task and training details investigators typically collect during a fatality probe.
For residents and worker advocates in central Minnesota, the death revives earlier disputes over safety at the Cold Spring complex. Protests and walkouts during the pandemic, along with other complaints, prompted calls for stronger oversight, as documented by WJON. Officials have not released a timeline for when investigators will complete their review.
