Mars Wrigley factory fined after two workers fell into a vat of chocolate

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The worldwide brands merged in 2008, and produced popular sweets including M&M’s but were fined after two contractors, hired to clean tanks, fell into one

A Mars Wrigley factory in Pennsylvania has been fined more than £12,000 by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration after two workers fell into a vat of chocolate and had to be rescued.

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The incident happened in Elizabethtown back in June 2022, and the workers involved were contracted and did not work full-time at the factory. The tank that the two people fell into was partly full, and a hole had to be cut in the bottom to free them.

Following the incident, a report from the regulator stated it as ‘serious’ and said that the workers were hired to clean the tanks, but were not provided with ‘proper’ safety training to avoid incidents like that.

The report also mentioned that the tank the contractors fell into was a batching tank. A batching tank mixes ingredients - and the one in question was for Dove chocolate, which is sold in the UK and United States.

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A representative for Mars Wrigley said: "The safety of our associates and outside contractors is a top priority for our business., As always, we appreciate [the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s] collaborative approach to working with us to conduct the after-action review."

Mars and Wrigley are both huge brands worldwide, and both are over 100 years old. The two merged 15 years ago in 2008, and produced popular sweets such as M&Ms, Snickers and Twix.

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