Carrier lead report
Carrier lead findings
280 micrograms per 100 cm2 was found on top of a column barrier and 180 micrograms per 100 cm2 was found on top of a box in storage at Carrier's warehouse.
Sources tell Eyewitness News that the inspections came after employees reportedly complained about breathing in lead dust while at work.
"We go the results back today that they found there is a serious lead exposure risk in the warehouse," said Carrier employee TJ Bray.
IOSHA tested the facility and has levied fines against the air conditioning giant, giving the company 15 days to respond to its findings. If Carrier fails to respond in the allotted time frame, then fines starting at $1,700 kick in.
"We're very concerned for the workers there and the previous ones that worked there. We've got some that have retired and gotten very sick. We have some now on dialysis. Lung issues, breathing problems, so they're scared," said Rob James vice president of United Steelworkers Local 1999.
The steelworkers union, which represents Carrier workers, says it not only wants a clean up, James says "whatever's wrong, the members need to be tested so that they can come up with a clean bill of health or know what's going on with them. I think they're entitled to that."
Carrier says it periodically evaluates its facilities for exposures including lead. The company also said the IOSHA test "did not find any detectable levels of lead in personal air samples, which assesses potential airborne exposure."
But employees told Eyewitness News it's the dust on those surfaces that bothers them. Their union says it's happened before and was cleaned it up before. They suspect a plant nearby is emitting the lead dust.
"Find out where the lead is coming from, because we don't make anything with lead in it," Bray said.
Carrier has an outside expert drawing up a "compreshensive remediation plan" and says it will search for the root cause of the lead dust.
There is a notice to employees about a September 7, 2016 informal conference being held to give workers information on this matter.
- RELATED: Read the safety order here.
"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 became the focus of the presidential campaign when it announced earlier this year that it would be moving operations to Mexico and laying off around 1,400 Indiana workers.
The company had to return $1.2 million in tax incentives to the City of Indianapolis.
It reached an agreement with the United Steelworkers Union in July concerning severance pay and medical insurance.
These companies are pretty smart. They always avoid protecting the workers to the extent they can go undetected; and they certainly move to countries where the worker protection and environmental laws are far inferior to the ones in the United States.