Candle factory workers sue company after tornado

Several workers were injured when a candle factory in Mayfield, Kentucky was destroyed by a tornado on Friday night. Injured workers from the factory are suing the candle maker. One of the attorneys representing the survivors called it a 'modern-day sweatshop'. 

The suit was filed on Tuesday and it says that as tornado warnings came in, employees were told they'd be fired if they left the Mayfield Consumer Products factory. The lawsuit also alleges serious violations of worker safety laws and a massive cover-up scheme intended to protect the company. The representatives for the company are denying the claims and a spokesperson for the company said that the employees were free to leave whenever they wanted. After the incident, Governer Andy Beshear said that his office will thoroughly investigate the factory since it is required to investigate any workplace deaths. Eight people were killed by the twister. 

More than 100 workers were working on holiday candle orders when the funnel leveled the facility. The extent of the damage initially created fears that scores of workers could be dead under the rubble. The company later added to the confusion and said that many employees who survived left the site and went back to homes with no phone service. Since then, according to state and local officials who have spoken to the company, all workers have been accounted for. E.J. Meiman, Louisville Emergency Management Director said on Monday that the authorities now "have a high level of confidence that nobody is left in this building." Attorneys say that the employees will share their stories of survival on Friday on a live gospel radio program.

Source: CBS News