Safety Week 2022 began at all Cemex USA plants and facilities on 10 January, with safety activities and messages delivered by local leadership to all employees aimed at refocusing them on safety for the new year. Employees attended socially distanced or virtual meetings that followed the company’s Behaviours That Save Lives, guidelines that encourage vaccination, the identification and reporting of symptoms, personal hygiene and physical distancing, all designed to stop the spread of Covid-19. Throughout the week, employees also participated in exercises that encouraged them to use important safety tools like hazard recognition, hazard control and risk assessment while emphasising accountability aimed at preventing unsafe behaviour.
Cemex USA president Jaime Muguiro says: “Safety is a team effort, and at Cemex, we encourage our employees to contribute and build on our strong safety culture by looking for opportunities to improve the health and safety for everyone each day. We strive to work together and utilise our company’s health & safety management system tools to identify and mitigate hazards, so we all can go home safe to our families every day.”
During Safety Week, employees across Cemex USA operations were encouraged to reflect on their safety performance in 2021, examine their actions and seek opportunities to improve. They were encouraged to make use of Cemex’s safety tools including Take 5 assessments, which are aimed at getting them to stop, think and act when approaching jobsites, guidelines that can be utilised to help mitigate hazards. Meetings throughout the event also focused on strengthening a culture of personal accountability to identify and prevent any unsafe behaviours.
Alan MacVicar, Cemex USA vice president of health & safety, says: “Our employees are empowered to take action when it comes to safety, and they are encouraged to follow these well-established tools and guidelines in an ongoing effort to create an injury-free workplace. Safety is a core value at Cemex, and we expect each of our employees to become safety leaders and hold each other accountable to prevent injuries and create a sustainable, injury-free environment.”
Since 2016, Cemex USA has hosted Safety Week each January to promote a renewed commitment to safety throughout the new year.
