Health and safety newsbytes

UK

A batcher working at one of Cemex UK’s concrete plants came up with an innovative idea to prevent slips and falls caused by poor visibility, particularly as the dark winter nights draw in. Workers wear a headlight comprising of an easy to fit, dust resistant bulb with a minimum of 60 lumens luminosity (equivalent to 1 W). The solution is both effective and low-cost. Today, more than 500 employees and 500 independent haulier contractors in Cemex’s Ready-mix and Mortars Division carry the headlight as part of their PPE.

USA

Kapstone Paper and Packaging Corporation’s employees have been recognised for their safety efforts. Four of the firm’s workers received awards at the Western Pulp, Paper & Forest Products Safety & Health Conference in Portland, Oregon, on 4 December 2013. Shayne Bird, Twin Falls container plant, won the ‘Safety Professional of the Year Award’ and Bruce Stoner, Longview, Wash. pulp and paper mill received the ‘Safety Advocate of the Year Award’. Awards also went to Tommy Baker, Seattle, Wash. container plant, for the ‘AWPPW Washington-Alaska Safety Rep of the Year’ and to Creighton Shaul, Yakima, Wash. container plant, who received the ‘Jack Kirkpatrick Award for Achievement and Dedication to the Field of Safety’.

“I'm very pleased with our company's showing this year at the conference, and congratulate all of our employees who won an award. The fact that so many awards were given to KapStone employees, says a lot about the individuals who received those awards, and a lot about the safety effort taking place in general throughout the company,” said Paul Duncan, Longview Mill Manager for KapStone's Mill Division.

India

According to reports from The Hindu Business Line, Indian cement producer ACC Ltd plans to introduce a range of measures to improve the safety and well being of its truck drivers. The company plans to carry out medical and eyesight checks on a regular basis and issue smart cards that would hold personal and medical information about each driver. Training programmes on safe driving will be carried out at plants and there are tentative plans for a pilot project to use vehicle simulators for training.

Edited from various sources by Louise Fordham

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/europe-cis/06122013/industry_health_and_safety_newsbytes_487/