Health & safety
All our manufacturing units are certified to ISO 45001(Occupational Health & Safety). We are aligned with Global Cement & Concrete Association (GCCA) to make sure that global practices on safety from cement industries are integrated into our safety excellence journey. We strive to achieve them through concrete actions and piloted solutions to make HeidelbergCement, India a safer place to work.
We believe that if we are good in safety, then we are good in achieving new milestones in business". Safety is a critical success factor for our operational performance and is integrated in all our business decisions including green field/brown field projects, performance evaluation, etc.
All employees and contractors working for us must comply with the following cardinal rules
All Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) required for a given task must be properly used.
Equipment has to be properly isolated from all inherent energy sources and must be tested to ensure it cannot start or move prior to conducting any tasks.
Safeguards must be in place before equipment is (re)started.
Entry into confined spaces is only allowed for competent persons and with a Permit to Work signed by the responsible superior.
All occupational incidents are reported and investigated to identify the root causes and to set up corrective actions and lessons learned.
Driving for the company is done in strict accordance with local laws and company requirements.
Every industry hast its own set of challenges when it comes to practicing safety. A list of 24 most prevalent and risk activities common to our industry was prepared. Given the level of education at the workers level and among contractors, it was considered appropriate to dwell on each of the themes for a month on a consistent manner for it to be understood and put into practice. Across all plant locations on the first day of each month, respective plant managers launch the theme for the month in a gathering of workers. A catalogue giving details of the risk, it causes, and mitigation measures is printed in regional language and distributed to all workers. Thereafter throughout the month safety talks, trainings, deliberations on site demonstrations are done repeatedly across the plants. The aim is to see that every relevant worker gets covered and made aware of the risks and mitigating measures.
Posters in regional languages are displayed at all locations in the plant and thrust is given on ensuring that each worker is covered and on the topic.
Benefits noticed from the Monthly Safety Theme Programme are:
- Rise in safety awareness among workers on the potential risks and mitigations measures.
- Provides opportunity to the plant management for discussing and controlling risks.
- Consistent approach to reach out to workers and get them to accept the risks involved and seek their commitment to act safe.
- Encourages people to think and ideate for improving safety standards.
- They become more engaged in company’s safety message and implement safety protocol every day.
| S.No | Topics of HeidelbergCement India’s Monthly Safety Theme. |
|---|---|
| 1 | Vehicle Rollover (Run over, Squeezed by Vehicles). |
| 2 | Pedestrian & Vehicle Safety (Hitting, Over Run, Fall from Two-Wheeler). |
| 3 | Slips, Trips, Fall from same level. |
| 4 | Fall from Height. |
| 5 | Fall of tools and other items. |
| 6 | Mechanical Handling (Load fall / Hitting by). |
| 7 | Manual Handling (Bruise / Cut). |
| 8 | Conveyors Safety (Caught /Squeezed by). |
| 9 | Electrical Hazards. |
| 10 | Hand Tools (Cut / Bruise). |
| 11 | Confined Space (Asphyxiation / Toxic / Explosive Environment). |
| 12 | Fire & Explosion. |
| 13 | Burns. |
| 14 | Pressure Equipment. |
| 15 | Eyes. |
| 16 | Noise. |
| 17 | Managing co-activities. |
| 18 | Landslides and Collapse. |
| 19 | Chemical Hazards. |
| 20 | Dust. |
| 21 | MSD Vibrations. |
| 22 | Biological Hazards. |
| 23 | Animals & Insects. |
| 24 | Radiations. |
The safety star programme is unique since it is initiated by-the-people, for-the-people. It identifies people having high regard for safety and are role models for others. Plant safety stars are selected from the workmen level through a process of nomination followed by written examination covering topic related to Health and Safety rules and regulations. The nominations are done by fellow workmen. The one who secures the maximum score is declared the “Safety Star” of the plant for a given trimester. These awards are given once in four months to the winner.
Managing Director and Technical Director visits the plant for giving away the award. Managing Directors confers the Golden Helmet to the winner along with a gift at a function in the presence of all workmen & staff.
The Plant Safety Star Award Programme aims at achieving the following:
- Motivate people to promote safety culture in the organisation.
- Create awareness on effective implementation of available tools.
- Promote positive attitude among individuals to appreciate importance of safety.
- Provide sense of achievement and pride to the winner and sets aspirational targets for others to become safety stars.
- Encourages participation of all employees and enthuses participation from contractors.
- Monthly safety gate meetings & Launching of Monthly Safety Theme & Communication.
- Plant Safety Star award programme.
- Safety Zone system.
- Hazard identification & Risk Assessment and Control measures.
- Hazard communication.
- Work Permits & Procedures.
- Safety Inspection & Audits.
- Fire Prevention & Protection.
- Accident reporting & investigation.
- Mock drills, Emergency Handling.
- Behavioural Safety Training programmes for workers at all Plants.
- Continuous surveillance.
- Award & Penalty system.
- Legal compliance.
- Review for continual improvement.