Cemex USA dedicates week to safety initiatives

Cemex USA employees paused this month for safety meetings. Photo courtesy of Cemex USA

Cemex USA hosted Safety Week 2018, an annual, company-wide initiative designed to promote the goal of achieving “Zero4Life” at its U.S. facilities.

Operations at all Cemex USA plants and facilities paused in early January, allowing employees to participate in safety stand downs ­– meetings intended to help workers refocus and recommit to doing tasks safely each day.

“Safety is something that is embedded in everything we do at Cemex,” says Ignacio Madridejos, Cemex USA president. “We want to achieve zero recordable injuries, job-related illnesses, preventable vehicle accidents and environmental events – Zero4Life. Safety Week encourages everyone to be involved and take action to make our work environments safer.”

During this year’s safety stand downs, employees learned about the “LIFE” cycle of action-based safety that encourages workers to learn, identify, fix and engage when it comes to safety.

“Action-based safety helps reinforce Cemex’s health and safety management system, and the “LIFE” cycle helps build on that,” says Guillermo Martinez-Sans, Cemex USA’s executive vice president of human resources and communications. “It encourages all our employees to be more proactive and keep an active safety dialogue so we can make sure workers at our facilities go home safe.”

Employees were given special “Take 5 Hazard Assessment” booklets to get them to stop, think and act, when approaching job sites. The booklets provide a list of possible hazards, including fall risks, traffic concerns and environmental threats, as a reminder to pay extra attention to safety.

“Employees need to analyze every location to make sure they stay safe,” says Alan MacVicar, CEMEX USA’s vice president of health and safety. “By doing these hazard assessments, potential safety risks can be quickly identified and fixed.”