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Two companies face fines for a fatality in which an employee fell into a vat of melting chocolate.

OSHA has fined warehouse owner Lyons & Sons of Camden, NJ, $21,750 and chocolate maker Cocoa Services LP of Moorestown, NJ, $17,450. Lyons owns the building that houses Cocoa Services and manages the chocolate company.

Last summer, 29-year-old Vincent Smith II fell into a vat used for melting chocolate. He was hit by an agitator used to mix the chocolate and killed.

A co-worker slammed on an emergency shutoff switch when Smith fell in, but it was too late.

Both companies face serious violations for:

• lacking railings around floor openings or working platforms above the melting tanks
• exposing employees working on melting-tank platform to nine-foot falls, and
• failing to provide fire extinguisher training.

Lyons faces additional violations for failing to provide enclosures or guards over energized wires on melting tank boilers and failing to provide a first aid program.

The companies have 15 days to decide whether to contest the fines.

Tags: dies in vat of chocolate, Falls, floor openings, railing