Displaying items by tag: Safety

India: The India Cements will pay each of its 500 cement plant workers an additional US$736/yr, effective retroactively from the start of the 2023 Indian financial year on 1 April 2022. This will subsequently rise by up to another US$736/yr from the start of the 2026 financial year. The Hindu BusinessLine News has reported that the move is the result of talks with workers' unions. The India Cements additionally agreed to pay a total US$202,000/yr in premiums on medical insurance policies for all cement plant employees.

The India Cements operates 10 cement facilities in India.

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.

Philippines: Republic Cement has won seven awards at the Presidential Mineral Industry Awards 2023. The producer’s Bulacan cement plant won the Platinum Achievement Award, while its Batangas, Iligan and Teresa plants all claimed Quarry Operations (Non-Metallic) Awards. The Bulacan plant also won the Best Forest Mining Award in the Non-Metallic category, in which the Iligan plant was second runner-up. Lastly, Bulacan cement plant won the Safest Mine (Non-Metallic) Award.

Republic Cement’s CEO Roman Menz said "Throughout our 67 years of service towards building the nation, Republic Cement has always been deeply and wholly committed to responsible mining. It is through responsible mining and our daily commitment to safety and sustainability that we are able to support robust communities and a thriving environment, towards a greener and stronger republic."

Israel: Cemex subsidiary ReadyMix Industries has placed a new order with transport safety technology supplier SaverOne 2014. The ready-mix concrete producer ordered a further 25 mobile phone control units for its truck fleet. The units are cloud-enabled and run off a mobile app which blocks drivers from using phones when their vehicle is in motion. The smart system can detect when a truck is stopped and differentiate between driver and passenger, enabling access when needed. Users can integrate their fleet's units with existing logistics management systems.

ReadyMix Industries completed a successful trial of SaverOne 2014's system earlier in 2022.

Pakistan: Fauji Cement is among 50 Pakistani industrial companies to win a prize at the 12th Fire Safety 2022 on 4 December 2022, the Balochistan Times has reported. Fire Protection Industry of Pakistan (FPIP) and the National Forum for Environment and Health (NFEH) selected the winners for their fire safety investments, training time, awareness practices and state of equipment, with the aim of controlling incidents of fire and saving lives.

UK: C-Capture won an IChemE Global Award in the Energy category for its solvent-based carbon capture system. C-Capture's model differs fundamentally from currently commercially available systems, offering a lower energy penalty than technologies including amine-based capture. It is robust in handling impurities in flue gases, including O₂, SO_x and NO_x, while offering competitive cost and safety performance.

CEO Tom White said “Being shortlisted was honour enough, but to win the global Energy award is fantastic recognition for the C-Capture team and our unique carbon capture technology. The IChemE Global Awards represent the pinnacle of excellence in chemical process engineering. This achievement is testament to our exceptional team and their commitment to accelerating the global adoption of carbon capture and storage to achieve net zero by preventing greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere.”

UK: Cemex has bought 10 Volvo 460 8x4 tipper trucks for use at its Angerstein Wharf aggregates depot in Greenwich. From there, the trucks will deliver sand and aggregates all around London. The trucks’ bodies are made of lightweight aluminium, and they conform to Euro 6 emissions standards. This corresponds to 80% NO_x emissions reduction and 50% particulate emissions reduction compared to Euro 5 standards.

Cemex UK fleet engineering manager Nigel Ponton said “The addition of these new trucks to our fleet will enable us to better meet customer demand, safely and efficiently. Safety is the number one focus whenever we add new trucks to our operation and these Volvos tick every box in that respect.” Ponton continued “These trucks will all be working in busy streets across London so it’s imperative we provide our drivers with the best tools possible to do the job and help protect any vulnerable road users. Moreover, thanks to the improved fuel efficiencies and enhanced payload these new Volvos are the most sustainable vehicles we’ve ever had and will help decarbonise our delivery footprint.”

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.

India: The Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS) has named Ambuja Cements’ Rabriyawas cement plant as winner of its National Safety Award (Mines). Its winning initiatives include its Behaviour Based Safety training programme and Reward & Recognition employee engagement programme. Ambuja Cements said that the award confirms that Ambuja's Zero Harm policy has borne fruit.

Jamaica: Caribbean Cement says that its Rockfort cement plant in Kingston has surpassed 1000 days without a health and safety incident among employees and contractors. Health and safety coordinator Andre Haynes said that the achievement demonstrates that parent company Cemex’s Zero4Life zero-incident policy is possible.

Haynes said “As a company, we have invested heavily in the people aspect, with training geared towards improved safety and culture, and capital expenditure to improve the overall safety of the plant.” He said that the Rockfort cement plant will advance to its next safety milestone by keeping its focus on ‘closing all unsafe conditions’ and developing employees as health and safety champions.