Displaying items by tag: health & safety

Mexico: Members of the National Cement Chamber (Canacem) are set to reduce cement bag weights from 50kg to 25kg to comply with NOM-036, according to El Financiero, which aims to prevent and control musculoskeletal and ergonomic diseases in construction workers. The shift affects companies such as Cemex, Cementos Moctezuma, GCC, Cemento Cruz Azul, Cementos Fortaleza and Holcim.

The standard came into effect on 31 March 2024, but Cementos Moctezuma has already started transitioning to 25kg bags. José Barroso, CEO of Cementos Moctezuma, said "Since 2023, Cementos Moctezuma began the transition from 50kg to 25kg bags in all of its packaged product family.” He added "In Mexico, musculoskeletal disorders represent almost half of the occupational injuries, so we are already implementing changes in our plants to operate according to the new standard.”

Canada: A provincial offences court has fined Heidelberg Materials Canada US$142,000 for ‘failing to take every precaution reasonable in circumstances under which three contractors were injured at its Picton cement plant. The workers were reportedly injured in a flash fire while replacing the plant’s jet air blower, after company engineers mistakenly overrode digital signals on both open valves between the gas supply and the area where the repair was taking place.

Italy: Buzzi Unicem reduced its specific gross scope 1 CO₂ emissions by 4% year-on-year to 664kg/t cementitious product in 2022 from 689kg/t in 2021. As part of its Sustainability Report for 2022 it revealed that specific CO₂ emissions varied from a low of 500kg/t in Luxembourg to a high of 812kg/t in Ukraine. Its specific thermal consumption fell slightly to 4084MJ/t clinker and its thermal substitution rate was 29.9%.

The company’s Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate (LITFR) was 4.9 and two fatalities were reported. It also noted that six employees – five Ukrainian and one Russian – died as a result of the war between Ukraine and Russia that started in February 2022. In addition, six staff were wounded, one taken prisoner and two were reported missing from its Ukrainian workforce.

The building materials producer noted that it had met some of its five-year sustainability targets set in 2017, including a 5% reduction in specific CO2 emissions, the implementation of structural engagement projects at all of its production sites with a high economic, environmental and social impact and the achievement of increasingly safe working conditions.

India: ACC’s Jamul, Thondebhavi and Tikaria cement plants have won safety prizes at the National Safety Council of India (NSCI)’s Safety, Health and Environment Convention (SHECON) 2023. Press in attendance reported that the 1.6Mt/yr Thondebhavi plant in Karnataka won a safety award and a bronze trophy for implementation of its occupational safety and health (OSH) plan. Meanwhile, the 1.6Mt/yr Jamul plant in Chhattisgarh won a letter of commendation and the 3Mt/yr Tikaria grinding plant in Uttar Pradesh won a certificate of recognition.

Adani Group’s cement business CEO Ajay Kapur said "We are honoured to have been recognised by the NSCI with three prestigious awards for our commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of our employees, and we are proud to be recognised for our efforts. With a strong emphasis on occupational health and safety, we have a robust safety management system in place."

Canada: A court has fined Lafarge Canada US$145,000 for a dust spill from its Bath, Ontario, cement plant in October 2019 that 'covered' homes, gardens and cars. The court found that the emission 'caused or was likely to cause adverse effects.' The Belleville Intelligencer newspaper has reported that the Canadian Ministry of Environment previously concluded that no harm to health resulted from the incident.

Plant manager Ignacio Arroyo said "Myself and our plant team unreservedly apologise for the upset and concern that our dust release has caused all of you. We intend to make it right and make sure it never happens again."

Pakistan: A court has ordered a report by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) into alleged breaches of emissions rules at Kohat Cement's Kohat Cement plant in Babri Banda, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The Dawn newspaper has reported that alleged dust and chemical emissions from the plant have contributed to a local rise in cases of cancer, asthma and lung diseases, according to complainants.

Residents have filed a petition for contempt proceedings against the EPA and Kohat Cement, as well as local and provincial government authorities. The court previously ordered the EPA to monitor Kohat Cement's emissions in 2018. At that time, it also instructed Kohat Cement to operate its electrostatic precipitators system at all times that cement is being produced. Local residents claim that the plant has continually failed to operate the system.

US: The National Mining Association has named Titan America's Pennsuco, Florida, quarry as winner of its Sentinels of Safety 2022 large quarry safety award. The quarry operated for 432,000 man hours without a single lost time incident during 2021.

Titan America's senior vice president Walter Reed said "The team at our Pennsuco Quarry demonstrates yet again that a fully embraced and entrenched safety culture will inevitably form the foundation for a long-term successful, sustainable, and extremely productive operation."

The 2022 award is the Pennsuco's second consecutive and eighth overall Sentinels of Safety win.

Namibia: Limestone mining hours at Cheetah Cement were reduced by the Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation on 19 August 2022. In a notice issued by the ministry, the company was ordered to stop operational activities in its quarry site between 18:00 and 06:00 due to insufficient lighting at the site. The same notice also temporarily suspends the use of forklift machines inside the factory until they are serviced to a satisfactory level.

“The notice is in full force from 19 August 2022 until all corrective measures are effected to the occupational and health safety officers of the ministry,” stated the notice.
Cheetah Cement’s Public Relations O fficer, Tabby Moyo, said that the suspension for overnight mining would not affect the company, as mining during daylight hours provides sufficient raw materials for production, adding that any other irregularities indicated in the notice will be resolved as soon as possible.

This is the second time that Cheetah Cement has been issued a notice by the Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation due to non-compliance of labour laws relating to the health and safety of employees. In May 2022, the factory was closed for 11 days when the factory was instructed to rectify issues in its cement mill, packing plant, warehouse and workshop.

US: A 43-year old worker died after sustaining severe injuries at Giant Cement’s Harleyville, South Carolina, cement plant on 21 July 2022. Local press has reported that the cause of the tragedy involved a conveyor belt at the plant.

Argentina: A man has died in a concrete silo collapse at Holcim Argentina’s Malagueño cement plant in Córdoba Province. Pedro Rivero, 67, had been working on the site at 11am on 15 June 2022 when the disaster occurred. Local press has reported that the collapsing silo crushed the crane which Rivero had been operating.

An investigation by the Argentinian Judicial Police into the causes of the event is currently underway.