OSHA: Kahr Needs To Get The Lead Out
Gunmaker Kahr Arms could face $115,500 in fines after it allegedly allowed workers to be exposed to excessive levels of lead and stray bullet fragments on firing ranges at its Worcester facility.
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration proposed the fines after receiving employee complaints and then inspecting the plant.
OSHA found the company did not perform required quarterly monitoring to determine the lead exposure of employees who cleared the firing ranges and did not work to reduce the lead levels. The agency issued two citations for willful violations, for a total of $98,000 in proposed penalties, based on those findings.
OSHA also issued seven “serious” citations worth another $17,500 in fines for other deficiencies in lead monitoring and controls, lack of protective clothing, not requiring lead-exposed employees to shower, deficiencies in the plant’s respirator program and failing to adequately shield employees from rebounding bullet fragments. Serious citations mean death or serious physical harm is likely to result from hazards that the employer either knew or should have known about.
After receiving the citations, the company has 15 business days to contest them or meet with OSHA.
Kahr Arms is based in Blauvelt, N.Y. but does its assembly and testing in Worcester. It is owned by the Saeilo Corp., which is a subsidiary of the Unification Church International holding company.
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