Firing Ranges

Lead poisoning can be a serious health risk to law enforcement personnel, shooting instructors, range safety officers, and maintenance and clean-up workers at indoor shooting ranges.

Firing ammunition releases lead particles into the air and can stay airborne for hours creating a toxic layer of dust on work surfaces and if disturbed by work activities, can become airborne again.

Inhaling lead particles or ingesting lead may cause a variety of health problems such as nausea, fatigue, muscle weakness, kidney disease, irritability, and reproductive damage.

In addition to lead exposure, workers at firing ranges can be exposed to other safety hazards such as loud noise, hazardous cleaning chemicals, slips/trips/falls, and damaged electrical components.

For topic-specific information, see also:

• Chemical Hazard Communication
• First Aid
• Lead
• Noise
• Respirators
• Silica
• Slips, Trips, and Falls (same elevation)