OSHA says some Spirit AeroSystems workers were exposed to cancer-causing agent

A federal safety agency says Spirit AeroSystems has exposed some employees to a known carcinogen.

The Occupational Health and Safety Administration said in a news release that it cited the city’s largest employer, saying it exposed employees to hexavalent chromium, which OSHA said is an agent known to cause cancer.

It is proposing a $194,006 fine against the Boeing and Airbus supplier.

OSHA said its investigators found that employees were exposed to airborne concentrations of the cancer-causing agent at nearly two times the permissible exposure limit.

The agency said Spirit hasn’t implemented “sufficient and feasible” controls to prevent exposure, conducted monitoring or sampling, provided training and required employees to properly remove potentially contaminated equipment and clothing before leaving its sanding area.

Spirit said in an e-mailed statement Thursday that the allegations focus on “one area of production conducted on third shift at the Wichita site” and that it will seek an informal conference with OSHA officials and look to reduce the penalties and classifications of the citations.

“Spirit does not believe any of its employees have been exposed to improper levels of HC,” the company said. “Nonetheless, Spirit has already begun taking steps to correct many of the issues described in the citations and looks forward to collaborating with OSHA to ensure its compliance with all OSHA regulations moving forward.”

This story was originally published February 1, 2018 at 11:00 AM with the headline "OSHA says some Spirit AeroSystems workers were exposed to cancer-causing agent."