OSHA Fines Mars Wrigley for Workers’ Fall into Chocolate Vat in 2022

Feb. 13, 2023

June 2022 worker-safety incident at Elizabethtown, Pa., confectionery plant results in a fine of more than $14,500 from OSHA.

Andy Hanacek

A widely publicized, June 2022 worker-safety incident in which two workers fell into and needed to be rescued from a vat of chocolate at the Mars Wrigley facility in Elizabethtown, Pa., has resulted in a fine of more than $14,500 from OSHA.

OSHA cited Mars Wrigley in the accident, saying that the workers were not authorized to work in the tanks and that they were not trained on the proper safety procedures.

The workers reportedly were employed by I.K. Stolzfus Services, a third-party industrial cleaning and maintenance contractor, and were performing maintenance on the tank when they fell in, getting stuck in waist-deep chocolate. Emergency crews had to cut a hole in the bottom of the large tank to free the pair, and both victims were taken to hospitals at the time. No update to their condition appears to have been published after the accident. Following the OSHA citation, Mars Wrigley representatives reiterated their commitment to worker safety in their facilities.

About the Author

Andy Hanacek | Senior Editor

Andy Hanacek has covered meat, poultry, bakery and snack foods as a B2B editor for nearly 20 years, and has toured hundreds of processing plants and food companies, sharing stories of innovation and technological advancement throughout the food supply chain. In 2018, he won a Folio:Eddie Award for his unique "From the Editor's Desk" video blogs, and he has brought home additional awards from Folio and ASBPE over the years. In addition, Hanacek led the Meat Industry Hall of Fame for several years and was vice president of communications for We R Food Safety, a food safety software and consulting company.