OSHA fines window restoration company $40K for lead, other hazards

CONCORD, N.H. – Federal workplace safety and health inspectors have cited a Dublin window restoration company for exposing workers to unsafe levels of lead, and other hazards.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration conducted a follow-up inspection of Window Master Inc. and found that the company had:

• Exposed employees to lead beyond permissible limits.
• Failed to provide changing and shower areas to employees who worked with lead, significantly increasing the likelihood of contamination outside the immediate work area – such as the lunchroom and break areas – and causing exposure to the chemicals while eating or drinking.
• Allowed lead to accumulate on such surfaces as a lunch table, water dispenser, faucet, light switch and soap dispenser.
• Did not measure the effectiveness of the ventilation system to prevent exposure to lead.
• Failed to make sure employees wore appropriate protective clothing while exposed to lead above permissible levels.
• Did not make sure workers used respirators properly.
• Did not develop or implement a hearing conservation program.

“Over exposure to lead can cause permanent kidney, blood and reproductive damage,” said Rosemarie Cole, Concord OSHA area director. “This employer needs to provide effective safeguards to correct hazards and prevent them from happening again.”

OSHA cited Window Master Inc. for several hazards in May 2015. As a result, OSHA has cited the company for six repeat violations as well as for three serious violations of workplace health and safety standards. Proposed penalties total $40,400. The company can request an informal conference within 15 working days from the time they received the OSHA notice to discuss the violations, and accept or contest the violations.

To ask questions, obtain compliance assistance, file a complaint, or report amputations, eye loss, workplace hospitalizations, fatalities or situations posing imminent danger to workers, the public should call OSHA’s toll-free hotline at 800-321-OSHA (6742) or the agency’s Concord office at (603) 225-1629.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to ensure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit https://www.osha.gov.