OSHA Renews Alliance with Firearm, Ammunition Industry
OSHA has renewed its alliance with the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) and the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute (SAAMI). Through the alliance, OSHA says that it and the NSSF and SAAMI are focused on providing member and non-member shooting ranges with free training resources to help enhance their employee safety programs including methods and procedures to minimize airborne pollutants and noise exposure.
The first two alliances, signed in 2002 and renewed in 2005, were between OSHA, the National Association of Shooting Ranges (a subsidiary of the NSSF) and SAAMI. The scope of the alliance will broaden with the NSSF signing this renewal.
"OSHA remains committed to working cooperatively with the NSSF and SAAMI to ensure a safe and healthful workplace for the firearm and ammunition industry," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Edwin G. Foulke Jr. "This alliance will provide more than 9,000 shooting ranges in the United States with valuable knowledge about effective ways to further protect the men and women who work in the shooting range industry."
"Partnering with OSHA allows industry to ensure the safety of shooting ranges," said NSSF President Doug Painter. "The renewal of this agreement is the right move for all parties involved."
"This alliance gives industry an opportunity to share our expertise and knowledge while working together to provide range operators with solid information that will assist them in their efforts to ensure a safe working environment," said Rick Patterson, managing director of SAAMI.
As a result of this collaborative alliance, OSHA, the NSSF, and SAAMI have produced several safety tools for shooting range workers and operators, including a manual published by the NSSF in September 2005 entitled, "Lead Management and OSHA Compliance for Indoor Shooting Ranges."
Formed in 1961, NSSF is the trade association for the shooting, hunting, and firearms industry. It has more than 3,600 members that include manufacturers, distributors, retailers, sportsmen's organizations and publishers. SAAMI, founded in 1926, is an association of the manufacturers of sporting firearms, ammunition, and components that helps coordinate the technical data and promotes safe and responsible firearms use.