CARENCRO, La (KLFY) – Barney’s Police Supply firing range is in hot water after an employee filed a complaint about lead exposure, as a result OSHA investigators found 16 serious violations, costing the company more than $78,000.
“It was a shock whenever OSHA showed up,” said Barney’s Police Supply President, Tim Heinzen. “It wasn’t a shock that citations were issued.”
That was Heinzen’s initial reaction when his business got a surprise inspection back in January, and now 5 months later, the findings of the inspection have been released.
“Some things were brought to light that we could do better then what we were doing,” said Heinzen.
According to a news release, investigators found that workers were exposed to hazardous levels of lead from spent ammunition rounds due to the employer:
- Not providing medical evaluations
- Failure to fit test and train employees before using respirators
- Allowing unshaven employees to dry sweep dust
- Exposure to airborne lead levels
- No showers/decontamination units
- Failure to test blood lead levels
- No hazard communication program
“We are taking aggressive measures to take care of those and do them the way that OSHA wants them done,” said Heinzen.
Heinzen says many of the citations were technical in the way that the reporting had to be done.
“Doesn’t mean that we weren’t doing it, but because we didn’t have it written down that was a citation,” said Heinzen.
“We plan to have all those citations abated,” said Heinzen.
Heinzen says he isn’t aware of any employees being exposed to lead hazards, but says employee safety is an utmost concern.
“When I designed and built this range I did everything I could to ensure that,” said Heinzen.
Heinzen says the company plans to call an informal conference with OSHA investigators to further discuss the violations.
The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations to comply, request an informal conference, or contest the citations and penalties.
