The awards are always highlighted by incredible Lifesaver Award stories. Those winners have acted above and beyond the call of duty to assist or rescue another individual in the workplace or elsewhere.

 

Brandyn Ganskop

Brandyn Gaskop saved a man’s life following a car crash. Brandyn watched a vehicle leave the highway following heavy rain. Brandyn’s quick thinking had him retrieving a receiver hitch from his vehicle and jumping into the deep water of a slough where the car crashed. He broke the back window of the vehicle and pulled the man out to safety. Brandyn helped warm the man with a blanket while they waited for help to arrive. The Patrol Deputy who responded said it took 12 minutes to respond to the car, and there’s no way the driver of the vehicle could have survived without Brandyn’s brave actions. The driver of the vehicle said the most terrifying part was not being able to open the doors or windows as the vehicle rapidly filled with water, and he was extremely thankful for Brandyn’s help!

Kade Massey

A group of women dining at a Mandan restaurant had a scary incident. An 88-year-old woman started choking on her food. Kade Massey, another diner, jumped into action and took over helping when her friends were unable to dislodge the food. Kade was able to dislodge the food after several attempts of the Heimlich.

Tyler Mock

In June of 2023, Red Trail Energy was going through its yearly plant shutdown. More than 100 contractors can typically be on-site assisting during these shutdowns. On June 5th, a contractor group was working and ran into trouble removing a broken part. The worker attempted to use two tools at once: a cutting wheel and a pry bar. The cutting wheel kicked back, hitting the contractor’s wrist. Employees immediately called for help. Safety Director Tyler Mock was in close proximity and was first on the scene to assist. Mock was able to use a belt as a tourniquet to control the extreme blood loss. Tyler is NDSC First Aid trained and was able to stop further blood loss and keep the man conscious until an ambulance was able to take him to the hospital. Tyler and the RTE team show calm skills in the field to save this man’s life.

Ryan Ohlhauser and Jared Gefre

Mylo Kramer was ice fishing on Beaver Bay west of Linton in March. Ice conditions changed rapidly while Kramer was fishing due to an ice jam close to Bismarck. Another man and his dogs were also fishing close by. When Mylo noticed water washing onto the ice, he and the other man tried to move north to get off the ice, however the ice had broken from shore. They later discovered they were surrounded by water, with no cell service. Luckily, Ryan Ohlhauser, who was above the Bay, saw the washout and called 911. Ryan Ohlhauser and Jared Gefre are both members of the Linton Fire Department. Both men utilized wet suits and swam with an inflatable boat to get to the men. It was now dark out and the ice island was further from shore. Using the boat Ohlhauser and Gefre were able to get the two men and two dogs back to shore. It was the first time the Department had utilized this equipment.

Ryan Muecke

Ryan was traveling in June of 2023 when he was a 4-wheeler overturned and stuck out of a ditch. He was able to see a hand waving. Ryan stopped and found a teenager pinned under the 4-wheeler. He was able to roll the vehicle and free the young man before calling for help.

Other 2023 Award winners include:

COMMUNITY ADVANCEMENT AWARD

This award is given to MEMBER companies who have shown a commitment to safety for their employees, families, and communities in which they operate by providing exemplary OFF-THE-JOB safety and health programs.

• Red Trail Energy LLC

OUTSTANDING SAFETY INSTRUCTOR

These individuals taught a significant number of courses or students for the North Dakota Safety Council and received high marks for their training style, showing a true dedication to improving safety in North Dakota.

Bryan Kocourek – Burlington Northern Sante Fe Railroad

John Murphy – Murphy Emergency Services

Tammy Wagner – Federal Railroad Administration

Leann Wallin – Moorhead Police Department

CP Police Service
• Benjamin Dahl
• Justin Maus

ND Highway Patrol

Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch
• Todd Fjeldahl
• Michael McCloud

American Crystal Sugar Company
• Grant Carlson
• Theo Kabu
• Jay Krogstad
• Joe McCoppin
• Tammy Puppe

SAFE DRIVER AWARD – Division 1

Recognizes drivers with a minimum of three years of experience driving a company vehicle and a minimum of 100,000 miles incident-free (Division 1) or 500,000 miles incident-free (Division 2)

Division 1
• Eli Kist, S-O-S Inc.
• Nick Anderson, Wescom Inc
• Will Franks, Wescom Inc
• Brandon Fry, Wescom Inc
• Gabriel Murillo, Wescom Inc
• Jarid Raisanen, Wescom Inc
• Rogelio Terrazas, Wescom Inc

Division 2
• Dane Boes, S-O-S Inc
• Colin Cook, S-O-S Inc
• Jon Hannestad, Swingen Construction

WORKPLACE SAFETY MERIT AWARD

This award is given to MEMBER organizations showing an Experience Modification Rate (EMR) of 1.0 or below, for the year 2023.

• Barr Engineering Co. – Bismarck Office
• Bartlett & West
• Butler Machinery Company
• Comstock Construction
• Dacotah West Crane Service Inc.
• Dakota Fence Company
• Home on the Range
• KLJ Engineering, LLC
• Marvin Windows – Grafton ND Facility
• Nooter Construction Company
• Northern Improvement Company
• PAM Health Rehabilitation Hospital – Fargo
• ProLift Rigging CO – Dickinson Branch
• Red Trail Energy LLC
• S-O-S Inc.
• Sun Electric, Inc.
• Trihydro Corporation
• Vector Construction Inc.
• Wescom, Inc.
• Winn Construction Inc.

SAFETY MANAGEMENT EXCELLENCE AWARD

The Safety Management Excellence Award is given to MEMBER companies who give extensive training on safety to their supervisors, hold monthly safety meetings as well as train most staff in Hazard Recognition and Reporting. The company must also implement a proactive safety plan in the award year and have a company Experience Modification Rate (EMR) of 0.9 or below.

• Rice Lake West -Dakotas

SAFETY IMPROVEMENT AWARD

This award is given to MEMBER companies who have improved in the area of safety and have shown a 50% decrease in their OSHA incidence rate from the previous year

• Rice Lake West – Dakotas
• Saulsbury Industries
• Strata Corporation

EMERGING SAFETY CHAMPION AWARD

This award is given to safety professionals who have been on the job for less than five years but have demonstrated a noticeable commitment to the safety culture of their organization.

• Cory Beery – BNI Coal
• Kevin Cook – Dacotah West Crane Service Inc.

WORKPLACE SAFETY MILESTONE AWARD

This award is given to MEMBER organizations showing an Experience Modification Rate (EMR) of 1.0 or below for five consecutive years.

• Butler Machinery Company
• Comstock Construction
• Dacotah West Crane Service Inc.
• DigiKey – Fargo
• ICS, Inc
• KLJ Engineering, LLC
• Marvin Windows – Grafton ND Facility
• Nooter Construction Company
• Northern Coatings, Inc.
• Northern Improvement Company
• ProLift Rigging CO – Dickinson Branch
• Red Trail Energy LLC
• Rice Lake West – Dakotas
• Saulsbury Industries
• S-O-S Inc.
• Total Safety U.S., Inc
• Trihydro Corporation
• Vector Construction Inc.
• Winn Construction Inc.

LIFESAVER AWARD

These individuals went above and beyond the call of duty to assist and/or rescue another individual

• Brandyn Ganskop
• Kade Massey
• Tyler Mock
• Ryan Ohlhauser & Jared Gefre
• Ryan Muecke