News Release

COLUMBUS, OH -- Four Ohio mining operators were honored today by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) for reaching one million work hours at their mine without an accident causing lost time. Companies honored with the award include Morton Salt in Lake County, Martin Marietta in Franklin County, Canada-based Lafarge Lime in northwest Ohio, and Celotex Corporation in Ottawa County. The awards were presented at ceremonies in Aurora, Ohio.

"It is truly an accomplishment to achieve one million work hours without an accident requiring an employee to miss a day on the job," said Lisa Morris, chief of the ODNR Division of Mines & Reclamation. "These companies and their employees have proved to be the safest in Ohio's mining industry."

"To attain one million working hours without an accident requires a concentrated effort each day from management and labor to ensure a safe and healthy work environment," she said. "Reaching such a milestone often takes a company 2-3 years, with as many as 200 employees."

According to Morris, only two other Ohio mining companies have been honored with the award since its inception in 1996. The national average for mining accidents is 5.3 per 1,000,000 work hours.

Morton International operates a salt mine underneath Lake Erie near the Grand River. One of the largest producers of highway salt, Morton Salt reached 1,000,000 work hours without a lost time accident in October of 1996.

Martin Marietta and its Columbus district operates six sand and gravel mines in central Ohio, covering more than 2,400 acres. The district, which has a workforce of more than 160 employees, reached 1,000,000 work hours without a lost-time accident in July of 1996.

The Ontario-based Lafarge Lime Canada, Inc. runs two limestone quarries in northwest Ohio. The two mines have not had a lost-time accident since 1995, helping them reach the 1,000,000 hour honor in July of 1998.

Celotex Corporation, which operates a 746-acre gypsum mine near Port Clinton and employs nearly 120 people, reached 1,000,000 hours in February of 1998. The company, which has been in operation since 1939, has had nearly 4,000 days of accident free operation since 1965.

Ohio has approximately 650 active mines for coal, limestone and dolomite, sand and gravel, salt, sandstone, clay, shale, gypsum and peat. Materials such as highway salt, cough syrup, paints, pottery, cosmetics and glass bottles are all products manufactured with minerals mined in the state. Ohio's mining industry contributes nearly $2 billion to the state's economy each year and employs nearly 9,000 workers.