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Salt "winners" in National Mine Rescue Contest

In matters of worker safety, everyone is a winner.

Results are in for the 2008 Metal/Nonmetal and International Mine Rescue Contest. Congratulations to Cargill Deicing Technology's Whiskey Island team from the Cleveland, OH mine for its salt industry-leading overall 6th place award. Joe Desko is the team leader.

The program is sponsored by the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration. Ten teams from eight countries participated. Host Team U.S.A. finished fourth.

Salt mine rescue teams were well represented among the leaders in the several individual skills competitions.

In the multi-gas instrument benchman contest, Ryan Weese of Cargill's Whiskey Island team took 2nd, Steve Allanson on Cargill's second Cleveland team, Cuyahoga River, finished 4th and Don Maxfield from Morton Salt's Grand Saline, TX "Team Texas" earned 6th place.

Cody Rossbach, Cargill Deicing Technology's Cayuga mine (Lansing, NY), garnered third place in the BG-4 Benchman competition.

And Cargill's Avery Island, LA mine "Rescue Runners" first aid team of Ward Broussard, Marty Menard and Lynn Bayard placed 5th in their competition.

See our earlier post for salt inductees into the Mine Rescue Hall of Fame.