June 12, 2009 - Marathon Oil Corporation's Michigan Refining Division received the Michigan Voluntary Protection Program (MVPP) Rising Star Award for workplace safety and health excellence from the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) at a special ceremony today. The MIOSHA program is part of the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor & Economic Growth (DELEG).
"Marathon is to be commended for their investment to upgrade its Detroit refinery and for exemplary corporate commitment to workplace safety and health," said Susan R. Corbin, DELEG Deputy Director & Chief of Staff. "We're honored to recognize every worker at the Detroit refinery for their dedication to work safely while producing the fuel that will speed Michigan's economic growth."
MIOSHA Director Doug Kalinowski presented the MVPP Rising Star Award to George Shaffner, Michigan Refining Division Manager, who accepted on behalf of all employees. State and local elected officials and MIOSHA representatives were on hand to recognize employees and management on their outstanding achievement.
"Workplace safety and health excellence are priorities at Marathon, so I know that all of those who work at the refinery are honored by this recognition of their efforts toward continual improvement in safety and health achievement," said Shaffner.
The Michigan Voluntary Protection Program (MVPP) Rising Star Award is given to companies that have an outstanding safety and health management system in place and have the desire and commitment to achieve the highest level, the Michigan Star Award. Only employers with the best safety and health programs are eligible for the MVPP Program.
MVPP Star sites must have incidence rates below the Michigan average for three years. The Detroit refinery's rates are below the Michigan industry average for two of the past three years for their NAICS code 324110 - Petroleum Refinery. Their total case incidence rate (TCIR) was 0.2 in 2008 and 1.3 in 2007, compared to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) industry average of 1.6 in 2008 and 2007. Their total days away/restricted/transfer cases (DART) rate was 0.2 in 2008 and 0.8 in 2007, compared to the BLS industry average of 1.0 in 2008 and 2007.
"National VPP sites experience 60 to 80 percent less lost work day injuries than would be expected of an average site in their industry," said Kalinowski. "Not only does the MVPP program significantly reduce injuries and illnesses-it also has a tremendous impact on the bottom line."
Marathon's Michigan Refining Division has approximately 500 employees and contract employees, many of whom are represented by Teamsters Local 283. The MIOSHA review team − Doug Kimmel, Team Leader and CET MVPP Specialist; Jeff Kelley and Lee Jay Kueppers, CET Safety Consultants; Fred Kirkland, CET Industrial Hygienist; and Patrick Sullivan, CET Construction Safety Consultant − conducted 52 formal and 27 informal interviews during the site visit. The team examined each of the required elements of their safety and health management system and found them to effectively address the scope and complexity of the hazards at the site.
The process safety management standard (PSM) applies at this site, as they utilize large quantities of hazardous chemicals listed in MIOSHA General Industry Safety Standard Part 91, Process Safety Management. MIOSHA Chemical Compliance Division Officers Mark Scott, Gerry Dike and Todd Strong performed a PSM review. Their findings indicated both management and employees are committed to safety and health.
Marathon recognizes that the ability to do business in any community is a privilege. High standards of health, environmental, safety and security (HES&S) performance underpin a culture of continual improvement. Marathon is committed to creating a safe work environment and works diligently to achieve an accident-free, incident-free workplace throughout its operations.
Marathon focuses on continually improving on-the-job safety, process safety, health programs, and facility and employee security through training, awareness, performance improvement and compliance programs. The company uses a variety of methodologies to prevent accidents and injuries and tracks leading and lagging indicators to continually improve performance of employees and contractors.
Marathon's Detroit refinery, Michigan's only petroleum refinery, processes 102,000 barrels of crude oil per day. The products produced include: gasoline, isobutene, propane, propylene, kerosene, diesel, fuel oil, asphalt and sulfur. The facility is comprised of five complexes and is located on approximately 425 acres.
Marathon is an integrated international energy company engaged in exploration and production; oil sands mining; integrated gas; and refining, marketing and transportation operations. Marathon is based in Houston and has principal operations in the United States, Angola, Canada, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Indonesia, Ireland, Libya, Norway and the United Kingdom.
Marathon is the fourth largest United States-based integrated oil company and the nation's fifth largest crude oil refiner in the U.S. It will invest approximately $2.2 billion in a current expansion and upgrade project at the Detroit refinery which will add more than 400,000 gallons per day of clean transportation fuels. For more information on Marathon, please visit www.marathon.com.
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