Mars fined after two workers had to be cut out of vat of chocolate after falling in

One of the workers was taken to hospital by air ambulance.

Confectionary giant Mars Wrigley has been fined €13,500 after two workers at a factory fell into a vat of melted chocolate.

The pair had been hired to clean tanks at the factory in Elizabethtown in Pennsylvania last June.

They fell into a tank used to mix ingredients for Dove chocolate, the American version of Galaxy chocolate, and slowly became trapped in the confectionery as it began to solidify.

More than two dozen rescuers responded to the incident, and a hole had to be cut into the bottom of the partly-full tank to get them out, the BBC reports.

The workers were both taken to hospital, including one by air ambulance, but there was no indication that either had suffered injuries.

The regulator’s report labelled the incident “serious”, explaining that the workers had not been provided with proper safety training and were not authorised to work in the tanks.

Milk chocolate is generally melted at around 45C before tempering.

This is slightly above the recommended safe temperature for a bath but is unlikely to cause scalding unless maintained for a long period of time.

The workers were both wearing safety clothing which may have protected them from more serious burns.