Feds fine PA chocolate factory for failure to evacuate in deadly blast's lead-up
A Pennsylvania chocolate factory was fined more than $44,000 by the federal workplace safety agency on Thursday for failing to evacuate before a natural gas explosion that killed seven people.
R.M. Palmer Co. did not heed warnings from employees about a natural gas leak, according to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which issued multiple citations to the company.
SUIT ALLEGES GAS LEAK AT PENNSYLVANIA CHOCOLATE FACTORY WENT IGNORED BEFORE EXPLOSION
"Seven workers will never return home because the R.M. Palmer Co. did not evacuate the facility after being told of a suspected gas leak," OSHA Area Director Kevin T. Chambers, of the agency’s Harrisburg office, said in a written statement. "The company could have prevented this horrific tragedy by following required safety procedures."
Emergency personnel work at the site of a deadly explosion at a chocolate factory in West Reading, Pennsylvania, Friday, March 24, 2023. (Jeff Doelp/Reading Eagle via AP)
Palmer denied it violated any workplace safety standards and said it would contest the OSHA citations, which the company said are "legally and factually unsupported."
FRACTURED GAS FITTING CAUSED LEAK AT PA CHOCOLATE FACTORY BLAST SITE: INVESTIGATORS
The powerful natural gas explosion leveled one building and heavily damaged another at the Palmer factory complex in West Reading. Investigators have previously said they are looking at a pair of gas leaks as a possible cause of or contributor to the blast.
About 70 Palmer production workers and 35 office staff were working in two adjacent buildings at the time of the March 24 blast. Employees in both buildings told federal investigators they could smell gas before the explosion.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Workers at the plant have accused Palmer of ignoring warnings of a natural gas leak, saying the plant, in a small town 60 miles northwest of Philadelphia, should have been evacuated.
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.