Marathon Oil improves safety, plant's reliability

CATLETTSBURG, Ky. -- Improved reliability and a stellar safety record in 2007 is paying off this year at the Marathon Oil plant in Catlettsburg.

The refiner, which employs more than 800 people, received its highest safety rating last year and reported no major injuries. This has allowed Marathon to reinvest in new projects for the refinery as well as efforts involving the community, Todd Sanifer, technical services manager, said.

"We had our best year ever when it comes to refinery reliability," Sanifer said. "That's allowed us to direct our capital expenditures toward improving infrastructure."

One of those projects involved improving the river dike near the refinery, Sanifer said. The plant also implemented a diversity team comprised of 20 people to leverage all employees' efforts.

In conjunction with their internal efforts, the people at Marathon Oil are taking significant strides involving the community, Greg Jackson, human resources manager, said.

"We're every proud of our environmental and community projects," Jackson said.

The refinery held a career day for eighth-graders of local middle schools to pique their interest in the field and focus on school. More than 1,100 students were introduced to 200 employees and 16 different disciplines, Jackson said. For those students who were unable to attend, a similar day is planned in the spring.

The refinery also sponsors a wildlife reserve and a workshop that brings in professors from local colleges to do projects for children, Jackson said.

Marathon Oil also became an inaugural member of Kentucky's Excellence in Environmental Leadership program. The members must pledge to volunteer for four different environmental issues, Jackson said.

Sanifer said he looks forward to further improving the refinery's safety rating and investing in other areas of infrastructure in the coming year.

"We want to look back in 2009 and say we had an even better year," Sanifer said.