Wallace Scarbro was fatally injured at the Chattanooga factory at the start of February. It is not yet clear how the accident occurred.
It is the second death at the site in the last 16 months as a 34-year-old woman was killed in October 2013 when she fell from a ladder that was struck by a forklift truck.
The woman was observing a jam on the overhead conveyer in the Life Saver Gummie Department using a mobile ladder platform.
Another employee travelled through the warehouse on an industrial truck and ran into the ladder. The woman fell and sustained fatal injuries.
The Mars-owned firm was fined $8,600 after an investigation.
Wrigley response
Regarding the latest incident, Wrigley told us it was deeply saddened to confirm that one of its associates was involved in a fatal accident at the Chattanooga factory very early in the morning on Tuesday, February 3.
“This accident is a heartbreaking tragedy. We are mourning the loss of our associate and our thoughts continue to be with his family. No injury is acceptable, and the safety of our associates is, and always will be, our first priority," it said.
“We work closely with local and national officials to maintain the highest level of safety protocols and best-in-class certifications, including Occupational Health & Safety Advisory Service (OHSAS) and International Standardization Organization (ISO).
“We are also committed to driving a culture of safe behaviors through our daily, weekly and monthly safety trainings for our associates. These mandatory programs currently in place focus on reviewing safety protocols and identifying potential risks to create a safer work environment for our team.
“As we move forward, safety will remain our top priority and we will continue identifying ways to safeguard our associates.”
Tennessee has its own investigation office (TOSHA) and it confirmed to us it is investigating but more details would not be available until an investigation is completed - a process which could took six months.
The Chattanooga factory, which makes Life Savers mints, Life Savers gummies and Altoids mints, has about 400 associates including full-time associates and contractors.