Mars has been fined more than $14,500 after two workers fell into a vat of chocolate and needed to be rescued.
The incident took place in June 2022 at the Mars Wrigley factory in the city of Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, and the workers involved were contractors as opposed to full-time employees, per BBC News.
The workers fell into a batching tank, which is used to mix ingredients together, in this case for Dove chocolate which is known as Galaxy outside of the US.
More than two dozen rescue responders attended the scene, which resulted in a hole having to be cut in the bottom of the tank in order to free the workers who could have drowned. One of the workers was transported to the hospital by helicopter.
The regulator's report, obtained by the BBC, revealed that the workers were hired to clean the tanks and were not given full health and safety training and also not authorized to enter the vats.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Osha) said, via the Guardian: "The employer did not ensure that the employee had the knowledge of the type and magnitude of the energy for the task. The host employer did not provide the outside employer with the correct energy control procedure or work authorization permit."
In a statement, a representative for Mars Wrigley welcomed the outcome of the investigation: "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 gained full control over Wrigley when the companies merged in 2008 after it bought billionaire Warren Buffett's shares in the chewing gum company.
Alongside Dove, the company also produces much-loved brands of confectionery such as Twix, M&M's, and snickers.
Both workers made a full recovery following the incident, as it certainly doesn't sound like a Willy Wonka-style factory with a chocolate river is as fun as it sounds.
On the subject of chocolate, shoppers were left baffled after Easter Eggs began popping up on shelves before the end of 2022, with some angry they didn't get a cool down from Christmas before the next holiday arrived.
Easter is a great time for chocolate lovers as it is tradition to gift loved ones a chocolate egg and shops become stacked with confectionary that isn't available at other times of the year.
With Easter now only a month away it seems fair to be buying as many eggs as physically possible, but having them on the shelves while everyone is still full from their Christmas dinner seemed excessive.
