Displaying items by tag: Death

Germany: Two workers have in died an accident at a construction site within the HeidelbergCement Schelklingen cement plant, when a 40m-high scaffold collapsed within a silo. Four others were involved, with one slightly injured. All six operatives had entered the silo from the top. Spokesperson Elke Schönig said that the scaffolding had become ‘staggered’ for unknown reasons and then partially collapsed. The incident will be investigated.

Italy: A 37-year old maintenance worker died on 9 August 2018 at the Buzzi Cement plant at Fanna, Pordenone, Italy. It was his first day on the job. Initial investigations have indicated that he was electrocuted by touching live electrical equipment. Investigations continue.

Ethiopia: Deep Kamara, the country manager of Dangote Cement Ethiopia, has been shot dead in an attack by unknown assailants. A driver and a secretary were also killed in the incident, according to the Addis Standard newspaper. The attack took place at Inchini, near to the cement producer’s Mugher plant.

A local government source that spoke to the newspaper said that Kamara had recently visited the plant as part of discussions between the company and local residents. Oromio state suffered riots in 2016 and 2017 with damage incurred to Dangote Cement’s plant on several occasions.

Bangladesh: Two workers have been killed at the cement grinding plant at Paschim Muktarpur in Munshiganj operated by Crown Cement. The workers died after being struck by falling material when entering a room at the site to clean it, according to the New Nation newspaper. Another worker was critically injured in the incident.

Belarus: A worker has been killed in an accident at the Krasnaselskbudmateryyaly cement plant in Vawkavysk. The 32 year old contractor was cleaning a heat exchanger in a storage facility when a layer of cement fell on him and a co-worker, according to the Belarusian Private News Agency. The man died at the scene from asphyxia. His colleague was taken to hospital with injuries. An investigation into the incident has started.

Syria: An investigation by the Agence France Presse has found that one local employee of Lafarge in Syria was killed and another has been missing for five years. According to the news agency, Syrian mechanic Yassin Ismail, who was employed at Lafarge's plant at Jalabiya, was kidnapped by jihadist fighters in 2013. He was subsequently executed, according to relatives and former work colleagues. Another mechanic Abdul al-Homada, was disappeared in Aleppo in 2013 while attempting to collect his salary.

LafargeHolcim is being investigated in France over claims that Lafarge Syria had paid extremist groups to keep its Jalabiya cement plant operational after the outbreak of war in Syria. Six former Lafarge executives have been charged with financing a terrorist organisation. Those managers could also face prosecution for endangering the lives of their local Syrian employees after 11 of them filed their own lawsuit alleging that Lafarge put financial profit before their personal safety.

China: Six workers have been killed at a BBMG cement plant in Zhuolu County in Hebei. They were cleaning a storage unit when concrete slabs fell on them. The workers died later at hospital.

US: Bud Biggs, the long-term plant manager of the Mitsubishi Cement plant in Lucerne Valley, California, died at the age of 77 on 18 November 2017. It is thought that he suffered a heart attack. Biggs, who only retired in February 2017, had been manager of the plant since 1986.

Bud Biggs began his career at Kaiser Cement in Cupertino, California in 1962, first working in quality control and in concrete research. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in chemistry in 1980 while working for the company. After a period working in Texas, he returned to California in 1986 to work at Kaiser Cement’s Lucerne Valley plant. Initially working as production manager, he was promoted to plant manager shortly afterwards, retaining his role when Mitsubishi Cement acquired Kaiser Cement.

Over the years Biggs made great contributions to the local community. In 2005 he and Mitsubishi Cement’s Senior Vice President Mike Jasberg formed the Mitsubishi Cement Corporation Educational Foundation (MCCEF), which provides additional funding for local schools and scholarships for students. Biggs was also on the boards of several other local educational and professional institutes.

Malaysia: Yeoh Tiong Lay, the founder of YTL Group, has died at the age of 88. Lay started with a construction company in Kuala Selangor in 1955 and the built the company into a conglomerate including cement production, power generation, water and sewerage services, communications, construction contracting, property development and investment, hotel development management and more. He was appointed to the board of directors of YTL Corp in mid-1984 and was appointed as the executive chairman in 1985.

India: A worker has been found dead at a 2Mt/yr cement grinding plant that Emami Cement is building at Jajpur in Odisha. A fellow worker was also found injured next to the deceased, according to the New Indian Express newspaper. No cause for the accident has been reported. Both men were working as casual labourers at the site.