Candle factory where workers killed by tornadoes cited for alleged labor law violations

Published 9:20 pm Tuesday, August 23, 2022

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. Mayfield Consumer Products has contested all seven, according to information on the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration website.

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. There were 81 people who died in Kentucky in the Dec. 10 storms.

An expansion by the company was previously announced at its factory in nearby Hickory, where it plans to invest $33 million and employ more than 500 people in the next five years.