Displaying items by tag: health & safety

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.

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.

Namibia: The Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation has shut down production at the Whale Rock Cement plant near Otjiwarongo due to non-compliance with labour laws on the health and safety of employees. A notice was delivered instructing the factory to close its grinding station, packing machine, cement warehouse and cement workshop, according to the Namibia Press Agency. The plant has been ordered to remain closed until all hazardous areas have been made safe. This is expected to take a week. Affected employees are entitled to full remuneration during this period.

The decision to close the plant followed labour inspections in April and May 2022. During the inspections one employee reportedly lost a finger at the pallet stacking area and another sustained finger injuries when he was unblocking the dust collector. Workers said that they work in a dusty environment with no dust masks. They also alleged that a Chinese supervisor brings a gun to work to intimidate them.

The cement company is a Chinese joint-venture and it also trades under the Cheetah Cement brand name. Around 210 Namibians and 44 Chinese nationals work for the company. In April 2022 eight workers at the plant were deported to China for working without adequate work permits.

India: An explosion at a cement plant in Gujarat’s Rajkot district has killed three workers. The Times of India newspaper has reported that police have detained two engineers on suspicion of criminal negligence.

India: A gas pipeline explosion at JP Cement’s Naubasta cement plant in Madhya Pradesh’s Rewa district reportedly injured three workers in February 2022. India Today News has reported that the incident resulted in the hospitalisation of all three workers. 15 – 20 local people subsequently attacked the plant on 11 March 2022, where they threw sticks and stones at staff and vandalised equipment. A spokesperson for the rioters accused the company of suppressing news of the pipeline disaster.

Ireland: Irish Cement has been fined Euro225,000 after it pleaded guilty to breaches of local health and safety laws. The legal case related to incident that occurred in April 2018 at the integrated Platin cement plant in Meath. An employee of the subsidiary of CRH was seriously injured when the articulated tractor and trailer unit he was operating toppled over whilst he was tipping a load in the petroleum coke fuel storage yard. An investigation by the Health & Safety Authority concluded that not all appropriate safety measures were in place at the time of the incident.

Mark Cullen, chief inspector with the Health and Safety Authority said, “This is an unfortunate and serious incident that could have been prevented. Employers should ensure that safe access and egress is provided for plant and equipment being used in the workplace to protect employees and others from the hazard and risks arising from vehicles operating in the workplace. It is of the utmost importance that employers should, where risks have been identified, take the appropriate measures and put in place the control measures to eliminate or reduce the risks identified.

Uganda: Preliminary findings into a fire at Hima Cement’s integrated plant at Kasese that took place on 16 January 2022 have revealed lapses in health and safety rules. Three people were reported killed in the blaze and a further eight others were injured, according to the Daily Monitor newspaper. Following an inspection of the site, Flavia Bwire, the executive secretary of the National Building Review Board (NBRB), said there were inadequate entry and exit points for the staff to evacuate the building. The NBRB will make recommendations to the relevant authorities when it has concluded its investigation. Hima Cement, a subsidiary of Switzerland-based Holcim, said that staff were conducting installation work at a light diesel oil tank when the incident happened. Production at the plant is yet to restart.

UK: Cemex has joined its subsidiary Cemex Ventures and Taronga Ventures in investing in construction logistics digital platform developer Voyage Control. The group said that the supplier’s product can reduce delays, waste and cost overruns through optimised delivery scheduling, and provide an overview of all transactions in real time. It currently helps to coordinate 6 million deliveries annually at 200 sites across North America, Europe and Asia.

Cemex Ventures director Gonzalo Galindo said “Cemex Ventures seeks to integrate Voyage Control with Cemex's digital assets, which will allow us to provide a better and more complete service to our clients. Now, we can collect more information, continue to promote operational efficiency and sustainable reporting and improve our health and safety criteria to reduce risks.”

US: Cemex USA’s Victorville cement plant in California has won the Portland Cement Association (PCA)’s Chairman’s Safety Performance Award 2021 in the Large category. The award recognises top safety performance. The Victorville cement plant previously won the award in 2019 and 2020. Cemex USA says that the plant recorded zero incidents in 2020. Earlier in 2021, it surpassed four years without a lost time injury to any employee or contractor.

President Jaime Muguiro said “Safety is our top priority, and Victorville cement plant is demonstrating that Zero4Life is possible. We are proud of the continued commitment of our team, and their achievement is a great example of what can happen when everyone is dedicated to safety and works together to look out for one another.”

India: Dalmia Bharat subsidiary Dalmia Cement and other companies are introducing a raft of new safety measures to counteract an increase in coronavirus cases, according to the Economic Times newspaper. The companies’ efforts include creating bio-bubbles for workers, reintroducing working from home where possible, changing shift patterns, conducting rapid testing and, not allowing outsiders into facilities without a negative coronavirus test and organising vaccination stations.