Displaying items by tag: Inspections

India: A committee has identified environmental compliance failures at the Adani-owned ACC cement plant in Barmana, Bilaspur district, according to The Indian Express.

The inspection conducted revealed inadequate dust emission controls, missing three-layer tree plantation and deficient truck-tyre washing systems at the plant. Only one kiln was operational at 40% capacity during the visit, as the plant is undergoing maintenance from 3 January to 8 February 2025. Therefore, the committee has requested an additional eight weeks to submit its report, so that it may conduct a more thorough investigation once the plant is operating at full capacity.

The Himachal Pradesh Pollution Control Board has previously imposed a US$149,000 fine on the plant in April 2022 for air quality breaches and untreated water discharge, with at least seven complaints lodged against the plant by local residents over the last three years.

Kyrgyzstan: The Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment and Technical Supervision has requested an inspection of Sinji-Pirim's Sinji-Pirim cement plant in Osh Region's Aravan District. Central Asia News has reported that a video emerged on social media showing smoke rising from pipes at the plant on 6 July 2023.

Sinji-Pirim Cement has operated the Sinji-Pirim cement plant since March 2018.

Philippines: Holcim Philippines carried out 70 upgrades aimed at increasing automation in its operations during 2022. The projects aim to optimise cement production, generate cost savings and ensure best safety practices. The Manila Times has reported that new Industry 4.0 initiatives include equipment monitoring systems offering 90-day performance projections, software capable of predicting cement's strength development and drones to replace visual inspections in remote spaces.

Holcim Philippines said that it is currently exploring the use of new predictive technologies in its operations.

Namibia: The Namibian government has granted Whale Rock Cement permission to resume production of its Cheetah brand cement at its Otjiwarongo grinding plant. Authorities suspended operations at the plant on 10 May 2022.Labour Ministry acting executive director Lydia Indombo cited multiple contraventions of occupational safety regulations, including failure to issue personal protective equipment (PPE), failure to maintain good housekeeping, lack of sanitary conveniences and lack of first aid equipment, as the cause of the suspension.

Indombo said "The ministry conducted verification inspections on 16 and 20 May 2022 to evaluate the compliance on the identified shortfalls and is satisfied with the level of compliance." She added that the ministry had recommended the resumption of production activities.

US: A court has instructed Continental Cement to pay a worker who acted as an employee representative during Mine Safety and Health Administration (MHSA) inspections at its Hannibal, Missouri, quarry. The Insurance Journal newspaper has reported that the producer reduced the worker's pay as a mobile equipment operator by a total of US$388 over a period of days in March and April 2020. In addition to paying the worker, Continental Cement must pay a US$17,500 fine to the US Treasury for violation of the Mine Safety and Health Act. It is also required to expunge any adverse information related to the whistleblower complaint from the employee's personnel record and to post information on miner's rights in employee areas.

MSHA district manager Robert Simms said "The MSHA investigation found Continental Cement clearly discriminated against the worker for serving as the miners' representative. Federal discrimination laws exist to protect workers from penalties for serving as safety and health representatives while on the job." Simms concluded "The judge's decision sends the message that retaliation is a costly mistake for employers."

Germany: Gebr. Pfeiffer has launched a range of webinars and individual analysis and advice sessions in order to support cement producers preparing for start-up after the global coronavirus crisis. The services include webinars about vertical roller mill grinding and the Gebr. Pfeiffer MVR roller mill range and ready2grind modular system, as well as individual remote inspections. Gebr. Pfeiffer is also offering individual start-up support sessions.

Ghana: The Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) plans to start a large-scale market inspection on the sale of cement. It follows efforts by the GSA to stamp out poor standard goods in the market, according to Citi Business News. The initiative is also intended to protect consumers. It follows stories in the local media about building collapses due to poor quality cement.

Vietnam: The Ministries of Industry and Trade and Natural Resources and Environment have started inspecting cement and thermal power plants following the discovery of various violations of environmental regulations at certain companies. A joint delegation from the two ministries will look into the production and waste treatment facilities of the factories, according to the Viet Nam News newspaper.

Trần Tuấn Anh, Minister of Industry and Trade, has also ordered companies regulated by his ministry to provide information on environmental protection to the media. Anh has made it mandatory for contractors and investors to complete environmental protection projects in accordance with the commitments stated in their environmental impact assessments released before operation starts. Producers are supposed to publicise information on their trials so that local authorities and residents can supervise them.

UAE: According to UAE Interact, the UAE's Ministry of Environment and Water has conducted field inspections at cement plants to determine their compliancy with national standards. A team of specialists from the external audit sector conducted both scheduled and surprise visits to nearly 20 cement plants as part of their annual evaluation process for ensuring complete implementation of the legislation. Saif Al Shara, assistant undersecretary of the UAE Ministry of Environment and Water's external audit sector, said that the latest assessment results show that the plants adhere to 60% of category A national standards, up from their 39% compliancy in 2013. For category B, cement plants complied with 35% of standards, compared to 33% in 2013. Finally, for category C, compliance fell from 17% in 2013 to 5%.