American and Canadian salt industry workers logged more hours in 2008 and yet achieved the salt industry’s best-ever worker safety record, the Salt Institute reported today.

The 8.3% increase in industry work-hours resulted from the industry’s year-long all-out rock salt mining effort which produced a record amount of road salt in preparation for the recent, harsh winter,

Salt workers put in nearly 12 million work-hours in 2008 and recorded 99 injuries. Only 21 incidents resulted in time lost from the job. The incidence of recordable injuries fell from 1.97 per 100,000 work-hours to 1.65, a dramatic16.2% improvement and an all-time salt industry safety record.

Morton Salt achieved the best overall company safety record among large companies and Detroit Salt among smaller companies.

Of the 50 U.S. and Canadian salt plants, more than a third, 17, had unblemished safety records last year. <more >