INDIANAPOLIS -- State investigators found a serious violation involving lead dust at Carrier's warehouse on the city's west side and fined the company $1700, according to a Safety Order issued on August 22 by the Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
IOSHA opened an investigation on March 31 after a Carrier employee complained about lead.
Carrier says lead dust was found in two locations inside the warehouse where finished furnaces are stored. The Safety Order from IOSHA says the lead must be abated by September 23.
The state is trying to pinpoint the source of the lead since Carrier does not produce anything with lead.
IOSHA finds serious violation of lead dust at Carrier plant warehouse on west side. State seeks $1700 penalty @rtv6 pic.twitter.com/pMfO2HRdyT
— Rafael Sánchez (@RafaelOnTV) September 1, 2016
Carrier released a statement about the investigation saying they take employee health and safety very seriously and promptly look into any complaints:
"Our top priority is the health and safety of our employees. As part of our Industrial Hygiene program, Carrier periodically evaluates our facilities for industrial exposures, including lead. The testing conducted by the Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration (IOSHA) did not find any detectable levels of lead in personal air samples, which assess potential airborne exposures. However, IOSHA surface testing indicated detectable levels of lead in two locations in the warehouse. As a result, we have implemented additional measures to clean the site. We are also working with outside experts to put in place a comprehensive remediation plan in cooperation with IOSHA and conducting a root cause review as none of our processes at this facility produce lead."
Carrier officials and IOSHA are set to meet on September 7 to discuss the lead discovery inside the warehouse.
Read the full Safety Order and Notification of Penalty below:
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