MESA, AZ — A military weapons company is being cited for worker safety violations after an employee was killed in an explosion earlier this year.
Nammo Defense Systems, near Higley and Thomas roads, was the site of a state worker-safety inspection after 22-year-old Jake Tilly died in the early morning hours of March 23.
Tilly, a production operator, was working with a batch of explosive materials that had been scrapped two weeks earlier, according to an inspection by the Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health (ADOSH).
He was assigned to remove scrap propellant from a 50-gallon mixing bowl and was using hand tools when the mixture combusted, killing him.
ADOSH said the company failed to properly train employees on safety standards and did not conduct a pre-startup safety review. They also found an exit door blocked by stored items.
The company was issued six safety citations and fines of $84,821 at a meeting Thursday, which is the maximum amount allowable for those citations.
Nammo makes weapons for the U.S. Department of Defense.
The company was previously awarded a nearly $500 million contract to make M72s, which are shoulder-fired systems. The Mesa facility also manufactures commercial ammunition and propellant powder.
In a statement, Nammo said what happened isn’t something anyone would ever want to happen. Nammo says the company’s employees are focused on safety.
Mesa Fire officials say they do fire inspections at the facility annually and found no violations in their most recent inspection in January.
ADOSH oversees health and safety for about three million Arizona workers - from private sector businesses to employees at state and local governments. The agency also handles complaints over workplace safety and conducts workplace inspections.
ADOSH said it had not inspected Naamo in the past five years.
Email ABC15 Investigator Anne Ryman at anne.ryman@abc15.com, call her at 602-685-6345, or connect on Twitter and Facebook.
