Candle plant cited for violations after deadly tornadoes

WUKY | By Associated Press

Published August 24, 2022 at 8:59 AM EDT

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FILE-In this aerial file photo, a collapsed factory is seen with workers searching for survivors, after tornadoes came through the area the previous night, in Mayfield, Ky., Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. Survivors of a tornado that leveled a Kentucky candle factory, killing eight workers, have filed a lawsuit claiming their employer demonstrated “flagrant indifference” by refusing to allow the employees to go home early. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

A candle factory where several workers were killed during tornadoes that hit Kentucky in December has been cited for violations of federal labor law.

Seven serious offenses are alleged, carrying potential fines of $40,000. Information on the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration website says Mayfield Consumer Products has contested all seven. The alleged violations include maintenance, safeguards and operational features for exit routes; emergency action plans; and bloodborne pathogens. Calls to the company seeking comment Tuesday were unanswered. The citations, filed in June, note that six employees were killed as the result of blunt-force trauma when the building collapsed.