Mars Wrigley fined after two workers fell into a vat of chocolate in workplace safety incident

• OSHA has handed Mars Wrigley a five-figure fine for a June incident at a Pennsylvania confectionary factory.
• Officials say two workers fell into a tank of chocolate while doing maintenance work.

A Pennsylvania confectionary factory is being fined more than $14,500 over a 2022 incident that involved two workers falling into a vat of chocolate.

According the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the two contract workers at an M&M/Mars factory in Elizabethtown were neither authorized nor trained to work in tanks. OSHA is holding Mars Wrigley responsible for the incident, the Associated Press reported.

The pair were reportedly employed by an outside contracting firm, and fell into the chocolate tank in June while performing maintenance work, officials said.

They had to be rescued by emergency responders who cut a hole in the bottom of the partially filled tank to free them, according to the AP. Both were taken to the hospital.

A Mars Wrigley representative told reporter that employee safety "is a top priority for our business."

"As always, we appreciate OSHA's collaborative approach to working with us to conduct the after-action review."