ST. PAUL, MN - Governor Tim Walz today signed the Brady Aune and Joseph Anderson Safety Act bill into law, establishing safety requirements for aquatic plant management companies whose employees use scuba gear. The bill was proposed following the deaths of Aune and Anderson who drowned while performing lake weed removal using scuba equipment without proper training.

“Brady and Joseph were two remarkable young men whose tragic, preventable deaths are a stark reminder that workplace safety cannot be an afterthought,” said Governor Walz. “With this bipartisan legislation, we’re preventing future tragedies and making Minnesota a safer place to work. I applaud the strength, courage, and dedication of the families who have tirelessly advocated to ensure every Minnesotan who goes to work returns home safely.”

House File 1355 includes additional occupational safety and health requirements for persons conducting scuba diving at a place of employment. It requires that any diver be scuba certified, mandates specific equipment for all dives, requires an employer to provide certain equipment upon the request of an employee, necessitates the presence of a standby diver, and requires first aid and CPR training.