NH: Gun Maker Faces Federal OSHA Fines

(Concord, New Hampshire) The Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has proposed fines of more than $250,000 for health and safety violations at a New Hampshire firearms manufacturing plant, Sturm Ruger & Co. Inc.

Rosemarie Ohar, area director in OSHA’s Concord office, said, “Our inspections identified a large number of mechanical, respirator protection, electrical, lead, fire, explosive and other hazards that must be effectively and continuously addressed to protect the workers at this plant from potentially deadly or disabling injuries and illnesses now and in the future.”

The company has 15 days to contest the allegations.

It's not known if the inspection was prompted because complaints were made against the company or for some other reason. Typically, full-blown facility inspections by OSHA don't come out of the clear blue, especially when they result in proposed fines.

According to the comment thread accompanying the linked article, most participants believe that the inspection and results are simply an episode of targeted harassment of a gun maker by the federal government. Harassment or otherwise, the elements of the inspection and the outcome do seem uncharacteristically and unnecessarily heavy-handed.