Marathon Petroleum Corp. (MPC) employees from the Catlettsburg, Kentucky, refinery recently participated in a trench safety stand down exercise and demonstration with local officials from the Ashland Fire Department (AFD), Ashland-Boyd County-Catlettsburg Office of Emergency Management and OSHA at the AFD Training Center in Ashland, Kentucky.
The event's purpose was to help raise public awareness of trench safety and allow members of MPC's refinery emergency response team and AFD to train in trench rescue.
The fire department hosted the event, which featured two trenches dug by the city of Ashland to allow the MPC safety department to present an exhibit on both safe and hazardous trenching practices.
The "safe" trench was used to demonstrate proper sloping, benching and shoring. Signs were posted so that participants could visualize the requirements to ensure a safe and compliant trench. The "hazardous" trench was used to demonstrate the teamwork and tools required to safely retrieve a person trapped inside a trench.
MPC's Emergency Response Team and the Ashland Fire Department worked together as a team to complete the trench rescue drill safely and successfully by retrieving a training mannequin.
For more information, visit www.marathonpetroleum.com or call (419) 422-2121.
