Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/803901
Training and communication improve safety OPERATIONS S ite safety at an aggre- gates operation must be addressed with a holistic approach from wearing proper personal protective equipment (PPE) and everyday safety to training, good communication, and overall employee health. Anne Kelhart, director of safety and human resources for Martin Stone Quarries, says that safety starts when a potential employee walks in the door for an interview. "I ask if [he or she] wears a seatbelt," Kelhart says. "I don't care if that person has 30 years of experience and can show me annual refresher certifi cations. With safety, you're not a little bit safe. You are or you aren't. It's 24/7." This safety fi rst and foremost mantra means it comes before pro- ductivity. Loader operators don't need permission to clean up a berm while a truck waits. "Loader operators don't have to worry about getting in trouble for leaving a stockpile or dump truck for fi ve minutes while fi xing a safety problem," Kelhart notes. "Maintenance crews don't have to ask to fi x things. They only need to let someone know if a part needs to be ordered." Like with other facets of opera- tion, training is important. However, Martin Stone elevates its importance. "Twenty-four hours of classroom training is required for new miners — no exceptions," Kelhart says. "Al- though it exceeds what is required, they do a minimum of 16 hours and up to six weeks with a mentor before anyone is allowed on their own in the fi eld. No one is released until the mentor is comfortable that the employee is confi dent in the job, whether it is a loader operator or someone in charge of welding." Embracing technology for commu- nication has helped LafargeHolcim be "safer and smarter," says Alex Hall, U.S. head of health and safety for aggregate construction materials. "We have developed apps to take into the fi eld that have a variety of interac- tions." The 'SHIELD' app, developed in-house, allows employees to per- form work in the fi eld, highlight what work has been done, and where it has been done. "We can decide whether something requires an ac- tion," Hall says. "The more interaction we have, the better effect we will have on reducing the incidents." Marty Tubbs, director of safety and health for Rogers Group, Inc., says continuous communication to em- ployees is also important. To create constant awareness, near miss and other incident information is dis- tributed through the company in an effort to prevent the same occurrence. "This information is also archived on an internal website for review or to use as reminders in safety meetings," Tubbs says. "We are adamant about constantly reinforc- ing our commitment to achieving a 'Zero Injury' safety culture without compromise by implementing all our safety principles." AGGREGATES MANAGER Document any issues concerning safety within the plant. These may include problems with equipment, such as a conveyor belt that needs to be replaced or a truck that experienced a parking brake failure. Ex- amine what could have caused the problem and how to prevent it in the future. Any near-misses should be communicated to all employees, and an archive or da- tabase should be kept of all incidents to use in future safety meetings, to serve as reminders to be proactive, and to create awareness. Integrate safety into any plant upgrades or modifi ca- tions by integrating it into the engineering process. If new steps are installed within the operation, for ex- ample, it is important to ensure the right materials are being used, proper grading is done, the steps are on the right angle, handrails are at the appropriate height, and there is the correct distance between steps. Safety should be incorporated directly into a plant design or redesign instead of being an afterthought or added at a later time. Integrate safety into the plant Communicate concerns 1 4