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November 28, 2007

More good news on the safety front

Congratulations to the entire teams at the folllowing facilities for their effective safety efforts and for achieving these millestones:

Morton Salt, Port Canaveral, FL solar facility, 1.6 million hours
Canadian Salt, Lindbergh Works evap plant, Elk Point, AB, 1 million hours
Compass Minerals, Chicago, IL processing facility, 400,000 hours
Canadian Salt, Goderich warehouse, ON, 20 years

November 22, 2007

2006 occupational injury rate plunges; mining better than average

Nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses among private-industry employers declined in 2006 – falling to a rate of 4.4 per 100 equivalent full-time workers in 2006 from 4.6 cases in 2005 – according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Even more impressive is that mining injuries improved even more, occurring at a 3.7 rate last year.

The total recordable case injury and illness incidence rate among private-industry employers in 2006 was the lowest since the survey was first conducted in 1972.


November 14, 2007

Canadian, Detroit and United lead third quarter Safety Recognition Program results

Through the first three quarters of 2007, Canadian Salt has achieved the industry's best safety record among large companies for both incidence and severity while, among smaller companies, Detroit Salt has the best incidence record and United Salt the best severity record, Safety Program manager Tammy Goodwin announced today.

Individual facilities with the best 3-quarters incidence record include

Morton Salt, Manistee, MI, Large Processing Category
Cargill Salt, Cayuga mine, Lansing, NY, Mining Category
United Salt, Carlsbad, NM, Small Processing Category
Morton Salt, Terminals/Warehouses

Best safety records from a severity perspective were achieved by

Morton Salt, Rittman, OH, Large Processing Category
Canadian Salt, Ojibway, ON, Mining Category
Cargill Salt, Watkins Glen, NY, Small Processing Category
Cargill Salt, Terminals/Warehouses

When it comes to safety, we're all winners when each and every worker returns home each night safely.

November 02, 2007

S-MINER bill advances to House floor

Although for the first time in history Congress failed to pass a single appropriations bill for the federal fiscal year that began October 1st, it DID end October with the House Education and Labor Committee approving by largely party-line vote, 26-18, the S-MINER Act. The bill would add a new layer of mine regulations to the package enacted last year, immediately after the Sago mine tragedy.

The Salt Institute has been on Capitol Hill with other mining interests suggesting a "go slow" approach of determining how effective last year's "fix" is before adding further controls including larger penalties against mine operators and giving MSHA subpoena authority. Minority Republicans warned the "improvements" could be counterproductive.