Police were called to Marathon Petroleum in Saint Paul Park at 4:15 p.m. on Sunday afternoon, after a contractor reportedly lost consciousness while working on a refinery unit. The worker was declared dead at the scene, with his name is being withheld at this time. No cause of death was available as of Tuesday. There is no threat to public safety according to police, and no hazardous materials were released.
“We are deeply saddened by this loss, and our thoughts are with the individual’s family, friends, and coworkers during this difficult time.” Marathon said in a statement. “We operate our facilities with the highest commitment to the safety and health of our workers and the community, and our goal is in incident-free and injury-free workplace. An investigation will be conducted to determine the cause of the incident.”
Marathon Refinery was originally built in 1939 by the Northwestern Refining Company and is located on 170 acres along the Mississippi River in St. Paul Park. Refinery products includes gasoline, diesel, asphalt, heavy fuel oil, propane, and refinery-grade propylene.