CONCORD, N.H. – The U.S. Department of Labor says a New Hampshire gunpowder company is being fined $1.2 million for violations that led to a May explosion at a gun and ammunition plant where two men were killed.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration said Monday it had issued 54 citations against Black Mag LLC, the company that operated the plant prior to the explosion that shook Colebrook, a town near the Canadian border.
OSHA says workers had to hand feed explosive powder into operating equipment because the employer failed to implement essential protective controls.
Labor Secretary Hilda Solis says the fines pale in comparison to the value of the two lives lost.
The explosion at the MDM Muzzleloader building killed 49-year-old Jesse Kennett of Stratford and 56-year-old Donald Kendall of Colebrook.
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