Officials from R.M. Palmer Co. are pushing back on comments from a federal official who blamed the company for the seven lives lost in a March 24 explosion at a West Reading chocolate plant.
In a statement from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued this week, OSHA area director Kevin T. Chambers said a failure by Palmer officials to evacuate the South Second Street plant after employees reported smelling natural gas led to the deaths of the workers.
“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,” Chambers said in the statement announcing the findings of the investigation. “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.”
The statement also announced that two citations had been issued against Palmer that include penalties of just under $44,500.
On Friday, Palmer officials issued a statement that lambasted Chambers, saying his accusations are unfounded.
“The statement by OSHA’s area director was inflammatory, callous and irresponsible,” it reads.
The statement says Palmer stands by its safety program and policies, adding that the company has already contested the citations it faces.
“The company disputes each of the citations and contends that the agency had no basis to issue these citations as stated,” the statement reads.
The Palmer statement goes on to say that the citations are based on there being a gas leak inside a Palmer building that led to the fatal explosion. That, the statement contends, has not been shown to be true.
The statement cites a July update of an investigation into the blast by the National Transportation Safety Board that makes no reference to a leak inside a building. Instead, that update identified leaks in two natural gas main service tees located under a public street outside the building.
The Palmer statement also says OSHA does not have an evacuation procedure specific to natural gas leaks.
Palmer’s own fire evacuation procedures, the statement says, would have sent employees outside to a place across the street from the plant or to a parking lot behind another building. Those procedures were not implemented on the day of the blast.
“Until the NTSB’s investigation is complete, there is simply no basis to evaluate OSHA’s statement that an evacuation would have prevented the seven tragic deaths that occurred,” it reads.
The Palmer statement closes with company officials saying they continue to be dedicated to the well-being of their workers.
“RM Palmer has always put the safety of its employees and community first, and is committed to providing a safe working environment,” it reads. “Along those lines, R.M. Palmer plans to work with the NTSB and lobbyist to develop new OSHA regulations to assist employers in implementing the best strategies during unforeseen natural gas releases.”
Reached for comment about Palmer’s Friday statement, officials from OSHA responded succinctly.
“OSHA stands by its comments and awaits the final outcome of the employer’s contested citations,” the response read.
