Kentucky OSHA officials are now investigating the deaths and injuries at a candle factory demolished in a tornado outbreak with employees inside. 

"I was just praying that God would take me cause I didn't want to endure pain anymore," survivor Jim Douglas said.

Eight workers died. 

Newsy has learned this is not the first time workplace safety has been a concern at that factory, Mayfield Consumer Products. 

OSHA records we reviewed show the plant was cited in 2019 for 12 safety violations, some labeled serious. Two of them relate to emergency preparedness. 

The records don't go into specifics, but one citation references Kentucky law 2.310(1)(1), which requires that job sites have "persons adequately trained to render first aid"… and that "adequate first aid supplies shall be readily available."

A second violation points to an OSHA standard that says "safeguards designed to protect employees during an emergency … must be in proper working order at all times."

Other citations were for electrical safety concerns. 

The company settled all of the violations with the state by paying a fine of $9,810 and agreeing to certify compliance with OSHA safety rules by January 13th.   

A spokeswoman for the Kentucky Labor Department says the company did have an emergency action plan in place and that employees had been trained on the emergency action plan. 

A Mayfield Consumer Products spokesman responded to Newsy's questions with an emailed statement saying, "We implemented an updated safety plan and operated a safe factory."

The company's CEO said, "We're in unprecedented waters – this is something we don't... or could have ever expected."

Kentucky OSHA will now spend up to six months investigating whether conditions at the factory contributed to the tragedy. 

Disaster expert Dianna Bryant says building design should be part of the review. 

"When we see more of these larger types of industrial facilities that are not constructed the way they used to be, they are not as substantial, this seems to be a trend that would continue," she said. 

OSHA is also now investigating an Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville, Illinois where six employees died. Records show no recent safety violations there. 

This story was originally published by Patrick Terpstra at Newsy.com.

MAYFIELD, Ky. — A Kentucky man suffered a fatal heart attack while cleaning up storm debris at his daughter’s home, authorities said as the death toll edged upward from a recent tornado outbreak across multiple U.S. states.

Services for Terry Martin Jayne, 67, were scheduled Wednesday in his hometown of Russellville. Warren County coroner Kevin Kirby said Jayne suffered the heart attack Saturday and was taken to an emergency room, where he was pronounced dead.

Jayne had been helping to clean up debris at his daughter’s home in Bowling Green, where officials said 14 others were killed by a tornado, including 11 people on one street.

According to his obituary, Jayne had operated a floral shop for 45 years. He is survived by his wife, a son and daughter, three grandchildren and four siblings.

“He was, as he always was, helping someone else,” Jayne’s brother, Bruce Russell-Jayne of Carmel, Indiana, wrote on Facebook. “Rest in Peace my ‘Little Brother.’ We are in shock and can’t believe you are gone.”

Jayne’s death pushed the total of storm-related casualties in five states to 89, including 75 in Kentucky.

The National Weather Service continued to assess the scope of the storm. Eight states recorded at least 41 tornadoes during the severe weather that occurred on Dec. 10 and 11, including 16 in Tennessee and eight in Kentucky.

On Wednesday, the weather service said the tornado that tracked across a wide swath of western Kentucky, from Fulton to Muhlenberg counties, was preliminarily classified as an EF4, with peak estimated winds of 190 mph (305 kph).

The most significant damage occurred in Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri and Kentucky, where President Joe Biden visited on Wednesday to comfort those who suffered grievous losses in the storms.

In Kentucky, Lacedric Richardson and his two daughters stopped by to pick up some necessities at Mayfield High School, where the gymnasium was packed with food, clothes, toiletries and other supplies.

Richardson, 36, said he was scheduled to be at work Friday at the candle factory where eight of his co-workers were killed, but happened to be out sick.

“I feel all kinds of mixed emotions knowing that I could have been there,” he said. “I feel grateful, but then I feel like I could have done more if I’d have been there.”

The candle company announced this week that it will give each employee $1,000 to help with expenses and perform an independent review of its emergency protocols. The state is also investigating the factory deaths.

RELATED: Several Kentucky candle factory employees claim they were threatened with termination if they left ahead of storm
RELATED: Northern Kentucky mom raises thousands to help daughter with Bowling Green recovery efforts

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — When a tornado touched down in Bowling Green, Kentucky, in the middle of the night, its violence was centered on one friendly subdivision.

It's a place where everyone waved at one another, and giggling children spent afternoons tooling around on bicycles on the sidewalks.

Fourteen people died in a few blocks. Eleven of them were from a single street, Moss Creek Avenue. Entire families were lost. Among them were seven children, two of whom were infants.

All around the neighborhood amid the ruins is evidence of the kids the neighbors used to watch climb off the school bus — a red wagon on top of a rubble pile, a mangled blue bicycle, a baby doll.

Neighbors who survived are so stricken with grief they struggle to speak of it.

Melinda Allen-Ray told The Associated Press she will never forget the screams from her neighbors in the aftermath of the storms.

"I heard them. It traumatized me. I think about that each night when I go to sleep, when I do sleep," she said.

Ganimete Ademi told the AP that the neighborhood is a diverse community of families from around the world. She herself fled the war in Kosovo in 1999.

"We come from war. This reminds us, it touches the memory of that, where we've been and how we came here," she said. "I turn my memory back to 22 years ago."

At least 88 people in five states were killed in the tornado event late last week. On Tuesday, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said 74 of those fatalities occurred in his state and that more than 100 people are still missing.

DAYTON, Ohio — To get a small sense of what the road to recovery will be like for those in western Kentucky, look to Dayton, Ohio. Deadly tornadoes ripped through the Miami Valley in May 2019.

“Oh my! What happened down there was worse than we ever experienced here,” Dayton resident John Barber said.

Barber owns one of nearly 3,000 homes the Memorial Day tornado hit. His neighborhood was without power for six weeks. More than 200 businesses were impacted.

“We were able to stay in the house through the day with generators — $20, $25 a day for gasoline,” Barber said.

Some streets in the metro area and Trotwood are filled with homes that remain unlivable. Some apartments appear to be untouched since the tornado ripped off roofs and busted through walls, while many homes and businesses completed the rebuilding process.

RELATED: Dayton area tornado outbreak was historic for NWS

Immediately after the storms, owners and renters alike had to wait for insurance adjusters to show up for assessments. Some never received that assistance due to interest obstacles. They are still working to repair their homes slowly on their own.

“Insurance companies fought a lot of these people,” Mike McCarthy said. “You know, they don’t want to give out. I think every first thing for insurance, they say, ‘Deny, deny, deny.’”

By June 18, Montgomery County Emergency Management said residents could apply for FEMA short-term recovery assistance. In Kentucky’s case, emergency management said individuals should be eligible immediately because of the Presidential emergency declaration.

“FEMA does help a lot, but you do have to deal with a government,” said Virginia Doran. “So, you're dealing with forms, paperwork and proof.”

It took about a year or year and a half for workers to finish rebuilding the first properties. Emergency management did not immediately have an estimate on how long it would take to fully rebuild.

“I shudder to think of just what is going to happen to a lot of those people,” Barber said. "They’re going to be living in motel rooms for months before they can even get a contractor who has time to talk to them.”

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FRANKFORT, Ky. — Gov. Andy Beshear said upwards of 70 people have likely been killed and fatalities are likely to rise after four tornadoes struck multiple counties in the western part of the state.

During a 4 p.m. press conference on Saturday, Beshear said as crews continue to work to rescue victims of the tornadoes, he still expects there will be more than 100 people determined dead.

"The devastation is unlike anything I have seen in my life and I have trouble putting it into words," said Beshear.

Beshear said a candle factory was hit by a tornado in Mayfield, Ky., causing a roof collapse and numerous fatalities. The governor estimated that around 110 people were inside the factory when the tornado hit the area.

So far, 40 people have been rescued from the facility alive, but Beshear said he believes it will be a miracle if, by Saturday evening, anyone else is found alive in the debris. The facility is covered in roughly 15 feet of collapsed metal, he said, and barrels of corrosive chemicals were also stored on the site.

The tornado — which originated in Arkansas — was on the ground for 227 miles in the state of Kentucky. Beshear said the storm was the longest tornado track on record and the largest in Kentucky's history.

"This was four different tornadoes, and I'm told we're actually going to see a little bit more on that, that hit us, including one that touched down in Arkansas and then stayed on the ground for 227 straight miles, which we believe is likely the longest in U.S. history," said Beshear. "Folks, 200 of those miles were in Kentucky. We're ground zero and I know this community is hit. It's been hit really hard."

The storms also swept through Bowling Green, Ky., damaging homes and causing the death of a Western Kentucky University student who lived off-campus. The school canceled commencement ceremonies, initially planned for Saturday, as the was campus also without power.

Watch: Beshear's evening address on damage in Bowling Green

Beshear declared a state of emergency in Kentucky and submitted a request to President Joe Biden for an immediate federal emergency declaration, which was quickly approved. Federal declaration allows the state access to additional resources and funding for cleanup and recovery efforts.

"I've talked today directly to the President twice, the head of Homeland Security, the secretary as well as the director of FEMA, who is going to be in Kentucky tomorrow," said Beshear. "They have all pledged whatever we need and I plan to ask."

The Kentucky state of emergency allowed Beshear to activate over 180 members of the National Guard and the Kentucky State Police, in addition to utilizing armories as shelters for Kentuckians in need.

Watch: Beshear's address on storm damage from Saturday morning

Michael Dossett, of Kentucky Emergency Management, said the night's storms could surpass the 1974 super outbreak as the deadliest tornado event in the history of the state.

"It appears this was a quad-state event, emerging from the same system that originated in Arkansas," Dossett said.

Dossett said the tornado that hit multiple counties in Kentucky path may break the record of the 1925 Tri-State tornado.

Beshear urged Kentuckians who are in hard-hit regions, if they are safe and have power, to stay off the roads so first responders can move freely to respond to emergencies. He also encouraged residents to donate blood; the state has seen a shortage of supply through the COVID-19 pandemic and Beshear said he anticipates the donations will be needed for those who are injured.

For those searching for a way to help victims of the tornadoes, Beshear has set up a single fund to which anyone in the country can donate. Funds in the account are solely intended to be used to help on-the-ground efforts to help families hardest hit by the storms.