Cemex USA’s safety week at sites in the United States saw staff in safety stand downs on Tuesday.
For 60-90 minutes, all operations stopped so employees could focus on safety procedures and Cemex’s Zero4Life safety approach.
“Zero4Life is something we live at Cemex every single day,” said Cemex USA president Ignacio Madridejos.
“Safety Week shows how it takes commitment from everyone to have zero recordable injuries, job-related illnesses, preventable vehicle accidents and environmental events. It really takes daily action to make it happen.”
In addition to the safety stand downs, workers also conducted site inspections at Cemex USA’s 12 cement plants, nearly 70 aggregate quarries and more than 350 ready-mix facilities. They looked for potential fall hazards, damaged tools and other opportunities to improve jobsite safety. Workers filled out safety improvement cards for any issues they found.
“By proactively identifying hazards at our facilities and fixing them, we will eliminate injuries in our operations,” Alan MacVicar, Cemex USA’s vice president of health and safety said. “The idea of Action-Based Safety helps reinforce the procedures and processes already adopted at Cemex to make sure every worker at our facility can go home safe.”
Safety Week also stressed driving safety. The Baytown Ready-Mix Plant in Texas was one of several plants around the country that invited police officers to inspect their trucks. The officers explained what violations they watch for and gave workers information on what they can do to ensure the safety of themselves as well as the drivers around them on the road.
“We talk a lot about safety, about the whys, but this is Action-Based Safety,” Paul Stalter, Cemex health and safety manager for East Texas, said. “We’re actually doing it official site. We’re getting it in the hands of the drivers with the knowledge, the experience and the resources. We want to make sure they go home to their families every day.”
Staying safe also requires Cemex employees to commit to their health. Several Cemex USA sites held programs Friday about the importance of healthy eating and exercise. Safety Week 2017 wrapped up with employees completing Action-Based Safety Commitment Cards, with their pledges of what they will do to commit to safe environments at their facilities. The cards will be posted in central locations at the plants so they can serve as reminders that safety is action, not just words.
