An indoor shooting range north of Brisbane has been fined $77,000 after an employee suffered lead poisoning from exposure to ammunition.

Kreutzer Pty Ltd, which operates as Rothwell Professional Industry Indoor Pistol Range, was required to pay $75,000 plus court costs, for a serious breach of the Work Health and Safety Act.

A 34-year-old employee, who started working as a range supervisor in January 2013, was diagnosed with acute lead poisoning after a visit to his GP in November, 2015.

The employee was complaining of symptoms including a "foggy" head, metallic taste in his mouth and a tingling sensation in his hands and feet.

A blood test revealed a lead level reading that was almost 13 times the acceptable high-end range.

The worker was admitted to hospital and underwent chelation therapy, a medical procedure that involves the administration of chelating agents to remove heavy metals from the body.

Further treatment for excessive lead levels continued and he developed some neurological and physical disabilities, which prevented him from returning to work.

At the range, his duties involved close supervision of shooters, who were rapidly firing multiple lead projectile rounds.

No conviction was recorded, but the court noted no blood monitoring was done at the firm. ( Facebook: Rothwell Professional Industry Indoor Pistol Range )

Medical records indicate the worker absorbed lead via the respiratory tract, and there was also a likely uptake of lead via the gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts during cleaning sessions, and retrieval of the spent lead projectiles.

Kreutzer Pty Ltd pleaded guilty to a breach, which spanned almost three years, of failing to keep the worker safe.

A sentencing hearing in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Tuesday saw the company fined $75,000 plus professional costs of almost $2,100.

RMIT Environmental Engineering Professor Suzie Reichman said it was not surprising the man had experienced such high levels of lead poisoning.

"There has been studies that show that people who go to firing ranges have elevated blood lead levels," Professor Reichman said.

"So from that point of view it's not surprising, that a staffer who's there a lot more often than someone who just regularly goes for a few hours [has elevated lead levels].

"However, you would expect those who are working in that facility would have quite a bit of personal protective equipment to make sure they weren't overly exposed to the lead in the bullets."

No conviction was recorded, but in determining sentence, Magistrate Jacqui Payne noted no blood monitoring was undertaken at the firm, despite regulations.

She also said personal protective equipment (PPE) was available, but only used sporadically.

Ms Payne said she took the company's guilty plea and previous unblemished record into account, as well as its post-incident safety improvements.

She also said she accepted that general deterrence was an important factor in the matter, noting there were relatively few indoor pistol ranges in south-east Queensland, and word had spread throughout the industry, leading to positive changes in overall practices.

The shooting range pleaded guilty to a breach of failing to keep the worker safe. ( ABC News: Nick Wiggins )

Penalties 'should serve as a warning to other facilities'

Lead expert Professor Mark Taylor said regular blood tests were the most important strategy to avoid contamination.

The Macquarie University professor specialises in environmental contamination and the risks they pose to human health in mines at Mt Isa, Port Pirie and Broken Hill.

"The penalties imposed seem entirely appropriate and should serve as a warning to other facilities," Professor Taylor said.

"We know that shooting galleries are particularly contaminated with lead dust and it's not surprising that people do get exposed if they do not follow proper personal protection."

Professor Taylor said workers at these facilities should not take their work clothes home and that they should be washed on site.

"They should also be fastidious with washing [their] hands," he said.

"There should be regular clean-ups to ensure lead dust does not accumulate in the facility and there should also be exhaust systems to remove dust in the air and these should be cleaned regularly."

The employee's duties involved close supervision of shooters. ( Facebook: Rothwell Professional Industry Indoor Pistol Club )

He also said anyone who used the facility — particularly women and children — should also be aware of the need to take extra care.

"You do not want to be taking contaminates back home from a facility that has been inadequately cleaned," he said.

Professor Taylor said similar safeguards used with asbestos should be adopted at pistol ranges.

He said wet mops should be used rather than vacuum cleaners.

"Outdoor pistol ranges pose a similar risk of contamination so everyone needs to be aware of those risks and the potential uptake of lead," he said.

Queensland Health Minister Steven Miles said the employer should have ensured its staff were properly using protective equipment.

"The tragedy here is that a young man who went to work is now disabled, may not work again as a result of poor practices at the place he went to work," Mr Miles said.

"Workplace health and safety is the job of employers, it's their duty of care."

He said Queensland had very strong workplace health and safety laws and an inspectorate to ensure they were followed.