Chocolate company fined $45,000 for failing to evacuate its employees during a gas leak that killed

[Eugene]

Source: Insider

Chocolate company fined $45,000 for failing to evacuate its employees during a gas leak that killed 7 workers

Charles R. Davis
Thu, October 5, 2023 at 4:23 PM EDT·2 min read

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Federal investigators are blaming a Pennsylvania-based candy company for the deaths of seven of its own employees in a block-leveling explosion earlier this year, saying it should have evacuated its factory after workers first reported smelling gas.

The blast came on a Friday evening in March, obliterating R.M. Palmer's facility in Reading, about 60 miles northwest of Philadelphia. In July, the National Transportation Safety Board identified the cause as a natural gas service fitting that had been retired in 1982 but was still connected to the system and was leaking just a couple of feet from pipes carrying heated chocolate.

In addition to the fatalities, another 11 people were injured. Three families in neighboring buildings also had to evacuate their damaged homes.

While R.M. Palmer may not be responsible for the gas leak, investigators with the Department of Labor and its Occupational Safety and Health Administration accuse the company of negligence and a couple of serious violations of standards: failing to "evacuate workers during a natural gas leak inside the building" and failing to clearly mark an exit.

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Read more: https://news.yahoo.com/chocolate-company-fined-45-000-202336612.html