Candy company ignored worker complaints about gas smell before fatal explosion, feds say
.png "Federal investigators say a candy company in West Reading, Pennsylvania, didn’t evacuate prior to a deadly explosion despite warnings from workers.")
Workers knew something was wrong before a massive explosion at a Pennsylvania candy factory that killed seven people, but the company didn’t heed those warnings, federal investigators say.
Despite several employees reporting that they smelled gas at the West Reading factory on March 24, candy manufacturer R.M. Palmer Co. did not evacuate the facility — and that inaction cost lives, the U.S. Department of Labor said in an Oct. 5 news release.
“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,” said OSHA Area Director Kevin T. Chambers in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. “Ensuring the safety of a workplace is expected of employers and required by law. The company could have prevented this horrific tragedy by following required safety procedures.”
McClatchy News reached out to R.M. Palmer and the company declined to comment.
The explosion occurred at about 5 p.m., NPR reported. The blast completely destroyed one building and damaged other nearby structures, including a church and an apartment building, the outlet reported.
R.M. Palmer is headquartered in West Reading and has been producing chocolates and other candies since 1948, according to officials. It has about 850 employees and ships more than 500 kinds of products to retailers across North America.
“R.M. Palmer has been a presence in the community for decades now,” West Reading Borough Council Vice President Phil Wert said shortly after the explosion, NPR reported. Wert stressed the importance of supporting the company in the aftermath of the disaster, “to give back to them because they’ve given to us.”
A proposed fine of $15,625 has been leveled at the company for not evacuating, documents show.
Several other citations for different infractions are also being brought against R.M. Palmer. The total fines add up to $44,483, documents show.
West Reading is roughly 60 miles northwest of Philadelphia.
This story was originally published October 5, 2023 at 1:46 PM with the headline "Candy company ignored worker complaints about gas smell before fatal explosion, feds say."