Feds Say R.M. Palmer Company Ignored Worker Concerns Before Explosion
(Reading, PA) -- The U.S. Department of Labor says the R.M. Palmer Company did not evacuate workers even after some had reported smelling gas. The resulting explosion in March killed seven employees and injured ten. The agency's Occupational Safety and Health Administration released its findings Thursday. Its results say that the company didn't have workers exit the West Reading plant even after some voiced worries about what OSHA later determined was a natural gas leak. The R.M. Palmer company said in a statement that it will contest the findings.