July 4th is this Friday, which means the season of fireworks and summer festivities is about to begin. Unfortunately, too much of a good thing isn’t always a good thing, and when it comes to fireworks, you need to remain careful. the United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently released a statement urging increased safety awareness in the fireworks industry. This includes manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, pyrotechnic companies, and any others who are involved in the making, shipping, or using of fireworks.

There was an explosion in a fireworks facility last week, which resulted in the death of one and injury of two employees. In response, OSHA has already audited the facility and cited the company for more than $45,000 in fines. This haste shows the emphasis OSHA is placing on this industry right now, and is a sign it is time to review your health and safety standards, if you have not done so recently.

If you have any concerns relating to your health and safety standards, particularly relating to the manufacture, transfer, or use of fireworks or other explosives relating to the holiday, please contact a qualified third party occupational health and safety auditing firm to help you evaluate your facility.

If you have any questions about how your business could be impacted by the heightened focus on the fireworks industry or about third party safety audits, please contact us. If you have anything to add about the warning issued by OSHA, please leave a comment.