Minneapolis  health and safety inspectors have penalized two Twin Cities hospitals for issues related to COVID-19 protections for front-line workers, according to an article on the Star Tribune website.

North Memorial Health Hospital in Robbinsdale and United Hospital in St. Paul each received $2,100 in citations after workers complained about  unsafe practices related to breathing devices and other personal protective equipment (PPE).

United Hospital is appealing its Aug. 11 citation, which said employees restapled broken elastic straps of their tight-fitting N95 respirators early in the pandemic.

Restapling broken elastic straps on a disposable N95 mask is a safety risk because it can change how it fits the face, and because staples can put holes in the material.

The nationwide demand for the N95 respirator masks is 300 million a year, up from 25 million prior to the pandemic. according to a Bloomberg article.

Read the full Star Tribune article.