Salt industry sets worker safety record

Congress is rushing furiously (and partisanly) in this election year to pass a second round of mine safety legislation, H.R. 2768, the S-Miner Act.  It's passed the House and awaiting Senate action.  In response to criticism from the Congressional Democratic majority, MSHA has been piling on more and more citations as if to equate finding violations with worker safety.  Meanwhile, the salt industry has been steadily improving its safe working experience as reflected in 2007 Salt Institute safety statistics released this week.

The salt industry reduced lost time injuries in 2007 by 55% to the lowest rate in its history.  The last four years have been the four safest years ever, according to the Institute, the non-profit association of salt producers.  The Institute reported a 0.25 lost time rate, better than its previous record in 2005 at 0.40. 

The Institute also recognized The Canadian Salt Company (Pointe Claire, QC) as the safest large salt producer, Detroit Salt Company (Detroit, MI) for the least injury accidents and United Salt Company (Houston, TX) for the lowest injury severity rate among North American salt producers in 2007.  

Individual facilities were recognized as well.  Best incidence records were achieved by Morton Salt's Manistee, MI evap plant, Detroit Salt's Detroit, MI mine and Morton Salt's Newark, CA processing plant.  Morton Salt's terminals and warehouses won top honors.  Regarding severity, the industry standard was set once again by Morton Salt's Rittman, OH salt refinery (owner of the industry's historic best safety record:  7.2 million consecutive safe work-hours), Canadian Salt's Ojibway mine in Windsor, Ontario and Cargill Salt's Watkins Glen, NY salt refinery.  Cargill Salt was honored for achieving the industry's lowest severity rate for terminals and warehouses.

The Institute has challenged mine dust tests provided for in the House-passed bill and urged Congress to follow good science and also allow the 2006 mine safety reforms to demonstrate their effectiveness before encumbering producers with additional, punative measures.

More information about worker safety in the salt industry is available on the Institute's website.