Ash Grove earns PCA safety award in quarry category

Ash Grove Cement Co.’s Louisville, Nebraska, plant was named a Safety Innovation Award winner in the quarry category by the Portland Cement Association (PCA).

According to PCA, Ash Grove’s Louisville plant developed a dump box-hardened material extraction tool for a skid-steer. This, in turn, reduced a number of hazards associated with moving material.

Before this safety development, employees used a pick, pry bar or jackhammer to manually clean sticky, wet or damp material that remained in the dump truck box after movement. Safety concerns with this task included sprains, strains, impact injuries, and dust and larger flying pieces of material that could get in a worker’s eye.

According to PCA, Ash Grove’s material-extraction tool reduces safety risks by allowing the operator to break up hardened material by using a tool – all from the seat of the cab.

PCA’s Safety Innovation Awards recognize creative safety-enhancing projects in the cement industry. 2020 award winners were determined by panel of judges, PCA says, that evaluated projects completed in 2019 from across the U.S.