R M PALMER CO INC
77 SECOND AVENUE, West Reading, PA 19611 · NAICS 311351 Chocolate and Confectionery Manufacturing from Cacao Beans
Having inspection records is common for businesses in regulated industries. Data and methodology
Inspection records
Mar 24, 2023#346590631Mar 24, 2023FatalityFatality/Catastrophe (M) · Partial scope, SafetyFatality#346590631$65,46410 viol.10 violations$65,464 in penalties
Inspection #346590631
Dates
- Opened
- Mar 24, 2023
- Closing Conference Date
- Mar 24, 2023
- Contested
- Oct 5, 2023
- Final Order
- Jun 24, 2024
- Closed
- Jun 25, 2026
Inspection
- Advance Notice
- No
- Owner Type
- Private
- Union Status
- No
- Number of Employees
- 250
- Related Activity
- 1 accident
Violations and Penalties
- Total Violations
- 10
- Violation Types
- 2 serious, 8 other-than-serious
- Initial Penalties
- $48,947
- Penalties on Record
- $65,464
- Site Address
- 77 South 2nd Avenue, West Reading, PA 19611
- Industry
- 311351 Chocolate and Confectionery Manufacturing from Cacao Beans
Fatality/Catastrophe Inspection: This inspection record is categorized as a fatality/catastrophe inspection in the DOL OSHA enforcement data.
Incident Investigation Summaries
Incident investigation summaries linked to this inspection through OSHA's accident and injury enforcement data. These summaries describe the reported incident. The enforcement outcome for the linked inspection is in the inspection details above.
Seven employees die, three are injured in natural gas explos
Violations
Violation list (10 of 10 shown)
| Citation | Standard | Type | Instances | Exposed | Initial | Current | Abatement | Contest | Final Order |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01001 | 1910.38 OSHA citation code: 19100038 F02 | Serious | 1 | 250 | $15,625 | $20,000 | Oct 3, 2023 | Oct 5, 2023 | Jun 24, 2024 |
| 01002 | 1910.37 OSHA citation code: 19100037 B02 | Other | 1 | 15 | $8,929 | $15,000 | Oct 3, 2023 | Oct 5, 2023 | Jun 24, 2024 |
| 01003 | 1910.305 Wiring methods, components, and equipment for general use OSHA citation code: 19100305 G02 II | Serious | 1 | 10 | $8,929 | $15,000 | Oct 3, 2023 | Oct 5, 2023 | Jun 24, 2024 |
| 02001 | 1904.29 Forms OSHA citation code: 19040029 B02 | Other | 2 | 250 | $7,000 | $7,000 | Oct 5, 2023 | Jun 24, 2024 | |
| 02002 | 1904.32 Annual Summary OSHA citation code: 19040032 A01 | Other | 2 | 250 | $2,232 | $2,232 | Aug 7, 2023 | Oct 5, 2023 | Jun 24, 2024 |
| 02003 | 1904.32 Annual Summary OSHA citation code: 19040032 B03 | Other | 1 | 250 | $2,232 | $2,232 | Aug 7, 2023 | Oct 5, 2023 | Jun 24, 2024 |
| 02004 | 1904.29 Forms OSHA citation code: 19040029 B03 | Other | 2 | 250 | $3,000 | $3,000 | Oct 5, 2023 | Jun 24, 2024 | |
| 02005 | 1904.40 Providing records to government representatives OSHA citation code: 19040040 A | Other | 1 | 250 | $1,000 | $1,000 | Oct 3, 2023 | Oct 5, 2023 | Jun 24, 2024 |
| 02006 | 1910.1001 Asbestos OSHA citation code: 19101001 J03 I | Other | 1 | 250 | $0 | $0 | Oct 3, 2023 | Oct 5, 2023 | Jun 24, 2024 |
| 02007 | 1910.1200 Hazard Communication OSHA citation code: 19101200 H01 | Other | 2 | 250 | $0 | $0 | Oct 3, 2023 | Oct 5, 2023 | Jun 24, 2024 |
Aug 10, 1981#12565719Aug 10, 1981Planned (H) · Complete scope, Safety#12565719$1803 viol.3 violations$180 in penalties
Inspection #12565719
Dates
- Opened
- Aug 10, 1981
- Closing Conference Date
- Aug 12, 1981
- Closed
- Sep 10, 1981
Inspection
- Advance Notice
- Yes
- Owner Type
- Not recorded
- Union Status
- No
- Number of Employees
- 325
Violations and Penalties
- Total Violations
- 3
- Violation Types
- 1 serious, 2 other-than-serious
- Initial Penalties
- $180
- Penalties on Record
- $180
- Site Address
- 77 Second Avenue, West Reading, PA 19611
- Industry
- 311351 Chocolate and Confectionery Manufacturing from Cacao Beans
Planned Inspection: This inspection record is categorized as a planned inspection in the DOL OSHA enforcement data. Planned inspections are part of OSHA's scheduled enforcement activity rather than being opened directly from a complaint or reported incident at that worksite.
Violations
Violation list (3 of 3 shown)
| Citation | Standard | Type | Instances | Exposed | Initial | Current | Abatement | Contest | Final Order |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01001 | 1910.219 Mechanical Power-Transmission Apparatus OSHA citation code: 19100219 F03 | Serious | 1 | - | $180 | $180 | Aug 25, 1981 | - | - |
| 02001 | 1910.106 OSHA citation code: 19100106 E06 II | Other | 1 | - | $0 | $0 | Aug 25, 1981 | - | - |
| 02002 | 1910.243 Guarding of Portable Powered Tools OSHA citation code: 19100243 C01 | Other | 1 | - | $0 | $0 | Aug 25, 1981 | - | - |
Penalty amounts may differ from final amounts after settlement or judicial review. How to read these records
About these records
A company page groups inspections with the same normalized employer name, city and state; it is not a legal-entity identifier (how pages are grouped).
This page displays public OSHA enforcement data. Status text follows the DOL inspection record first and may include citation-level context when the inspection feed and citation records are out of sync. Penalty amounts shown reflect the latest penalty amounts on record in the DOL database and may differ from initial assessments or final amounts. This is not an official OSHA resource.
OSHA's public enforcement data does not publish a "guilty" or "not guilty" field for inspections. The closest outcome fields available are the citation counts, penalty amounts, contest dates, final-order dates, and the inspection close date shown on this page. How to interpret these status fields. How initial and current penalties are recorded.
OSHA may publish multiple citation rows in the same inspection with the same standard and penalty fields. Separate rows can still differ in OSHA metadata such as citation identifier, recorded instance count, exposed workers, or gravity value. Contest and Final Order columns show citation-level dates from OSHA's enforcement record. A dash means OSHA's record does not currently show that activity for the citation.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor OSHA incident investigation data (`osha_accident` + `osha_accident_injury`). Linked via `rel_insp_nr` to the inspection activity number (exact government key). Injury, body part, source and event values are OSHA's own codes. OSHA states that these fields are not coded according to the requirements under the Occupational Injury and Illness Classification System (OIICS). Only the values present in the OSHA record are listed; an incident with no value that resolves in OSHA's code table shows "Injury details not recorded". Where a record covers several people, each field lists every value recorded across them.
Understanding These Penalties
The maximum penalty for a serious violation in 2025 is $16,550 per violation. For willful violations, the range is $11,823 to $165,514. The current penalty column shows the latest amount on record in OSHA's database for each citation. When the current penalty differs from the initial penalty, OSHA's records show that the amount changed during the enforcement process, but this page does not determine the specific reason for each change. Penalty amounts are set by OSHA and adjusted annually for inflation.
2 inspections, 1981 to 2023. Each row is one inspection; point at or tap a row for its dates and totals.
Source: DOL OSHA enforcement data (inspections and violations), linked via activity_nr (exact government key).
Penalty changes: Amounts shown reflect what OSHA's enforcement record publishes. The reason for any change is not stated unless OSHA's record explicitly says so.
Short cases: When a case closed soon after it opened, the closed marker is drawn slightly to the right so both markers stay visible. Each row's card shows the exact dates.
Standards cited
Industry comparison
Food Manufacturing, 22,560 employers with OSHA inspections. Arithmetic from DOL records.