PA - 2 killed, 9 missing, explosion at chocolate factory - West Reading, 24 Mar 2023

[PommyMommy]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1640166973962108929

https://twitter.com/x/status/1640170283301580807

 

[ifindedout]

Names of victims released:

Berks coroner's office identifies remaining victims of RM Palmer explosion

Berks County Coroner John Fielding said his office used dental records, fingerprints and other methods of identification to make positive IDs of the victims.

www.wfmz.com

• Amy Sandoe, 49, of Ephrata, Lancaster County
• Domingo Cruz, 60, of Reading
• Xiorky Nunez, 30, of Reading
• Susan Halvonik, 63, of Upper Providence Township, Montgomery County
• Michael Breedy, 62, of Marion Township
• Diana Cedeno, 44, of Reading
• Judith Lopez-Moran, 55, of Reading

RIP to all.

 

[steeltowngirl]

Officials say there are no conclusions or causes determined at this early stage of an investigation and the explosion involved a pipeline that transported natural gas.

Officials said they are opening a safety investigation at the R.M. Palmer Company and called the incident a natural gas explosion and fire.

NTSB launches investigation on West Reading candy factory explosion

The explosion happened Friday night at the R.M. Palmer Company factory located on South Second Avenue in West Reading.

www.cbsnews.com

 

[ifindedout]

Account of a survivor (the one pulled out alive, see upthread) who fell into a vat of liquid chocolate, and also smelled gas about a half-hour before the explosion:

RM Palmer blast survivor, on fire, fell into chocolate vat

Patricia Borges broke her collarbone and both heels and faces a long recovery.

www.wfmz.com

She began to run. That's when the floor gave way, and she could feel herself falling — into a long, horizontal tank of chocolate in the factory's basement. At 4 feet, 10 inches tall, Borges landed on her feet in chest-high liquid.

The chocolate extinguished the flames, but she believes her fall is what broke her feet.

The vat began filling with water from firefighters' hoses, eventually forcing Borges to climb out as it reached neck level. She sat on the lip of the tank, then jumped into a pool of water that had formed on the basement floor. Briefly submerged, Borges said she swallowed a mouthful of water before surfacing. She grabbed onto some plastic tubing.

And then she waited.

 

[ifindedout]

NTSB releases preliminary findings:

NTSB releases preliminary findings on explosion at RM Palmer Company

Investigators from the NTSB examined the accident site, secured evidence and completed interviews with Palmer employees and members of the public nearby at the time of the accident.

www.wfmz.com

In post-accident interviews, Palmer employees from Building 2 told investigators they were sanitizing equipment when they detected an odor of natural gas.

Building 1 employees told NTSB officials they recalled the smell of rotten eggs around the same time.

The factory buildings had two natural gas pipeline meter sets regulated by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. UGI reported no known work in the area and no pressure spike in gas usage prior to the explosion.

ETA: NTSB report link PLD23LR002.aspx

 

[ifindedout]

Related but separate story:

West Reading officials: Properties to be returned to owners soon as cleanup continues

The National Transportation Safety Board wrapped up its on-site investigation of the explosion site, but its final report could take one to two years to be released.

www.wfmz.com

WEST READING, Pa. – West Reading Borough Council President Ryan Lineaweaver said the National Transportation Safety Board's investigation into a deadly explosion at the RM Palmer Company continues.

"We can expect their final report in about 12-24 months, according to their estimations," Lineaweaver said.

Meanwhile, Lineaweaver said neighbors will see construction and cleanup efforts continuing at the impacted properties.

 

[sds71]

‘Rotten Egg' Smell Before Chocolate Factory Blast, Workers Tell Officials

Workers at a Pennsylvania chocolate factory smelled rotten eggs before a powerful natural gas explosion that leveled one building and heavily damaged another, killing seven people.

www.nbcconnecticut.com

 

[ifindedout]

OSHA: RM Palmer failed to evacuate after reports of gas smell

Investigators determined that natural gas was leaking prior to the explosion at the company's plant in West Reading on March 24.

www.wfmz.com

[...]

The department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration wrote in a press release that the department opened an investigation and that workers reported 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 says they also cited R.M. Palmer for not marking emergency exit signs clearly, using flexible cords improperly and for recordkeeping violations.

https://www.osha.gov/news/newsreleases/region3/10052023
READING, PA – The U.S. Department of Labor has found a well-known 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 department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration opened an investigation and learned R.M. Palmer Co. did not remove workers from the manufacturing plant despite workers' 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 emergency exit signs clearly, using flexible cords improperly and for recordkeeping violations.

"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."

View the citations. [PDF, 461 KB, 17 p.]

Headquartered in West Reading, R.M. Palmer Co. has manufactured chocolate and other confections at its Pennsylvania facility since 1948. The company produces, packages and ships more than 500 types of products to retail locations throughout North America and employs about 850 employees.

The company has 15 business days from receipt of the citations and penalties to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

 

[ifindedout]

NTSB releases documents related to R.M. Palmer explosion that killed 7 employees

The National Transportation Safety Board on Thursday released documents related to the blast, which killed seven of the company's employees on March 24, 2023.

www.wfmz.com

They detail the events leading up to the explosion at 4:55 p.m. that leveled a building, sparked a huge fire, and rocked neighboring communities.

[...]

Many employees in both Building 1 and Building 2 reported the smell of gas in the hour before Building 2 exploded, but no evacuation order was ever given, the documents say.

In one of those instances, a shift supervisor told the employees reporting the gas smell that they could leave at any time, though those workers told the NTSB they did not feel they could evacuate for fear of losing their jobs.

In other instances, though, some supervisors further investigated the reported smell and could smell it themselves, the documents say. One such supervisor had to leave the building because the smell of gas was so strong that it hurt his eyes, the NTSB says. He sat outside from 4:47-4:50 p.m., minutes before the explosion.