Investigation Finds Candy Plant Wasn't Evacuated Before Explosion

The U.S. Department of Labor said a Pennsylvania candy maker failed to evacuate employees after some reported smelling gas before a March 2023 explosion that killed seven workers at the company's West Reading facility. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration opened an investigation and learned that R.M. Palmer Co. did not remove workers from the manufacturing plant despite their concerns about what OSHA later determined was a natural gas leak. The agency cited the company under its general duty clause for not evacuating workers. OSHA also cited R.M. Palmer for not marking emerg...