Cemex USA continued its dedication to improving workplace safety and employee health by starting the new year with Safety Week 2019, an annual company-wide initiative focused on achieving Zero4Life at its hundreds of facilities across the United States.
To begin the annual event, operations at Cemex USA plants and facilities stopped for 60 to 90 minutes on Monday, Jan. 7, so employees could participate in safety stand downs. During the stand downs, employees reviewed safety initiatives from 2018 and discussed potential improvements. The stand downs each year are intended to help workers refocus and recommit to working safely.
“At Cemex, our commitment to safety is rooted in everything we do, every single day,” said Cemex USA President Ignacio Madridejos. “We are relentless in our goal to achieve Zero4Life – zero recordable injuries, job-related illnesses, preventable vehicle accidents and environmental events. Safety is everyone’s responsibility, and Safety Week encourages all our employees to take action to make our work environments safer.”
During this year’s safety stand downs, Cemex employees were encouraged to become safety experts using the tools provided in Cemex Health and Safety Management System – a program based on 14 different elements including leadership, audits and inspections, safe operative practices and risk analysis.
The theme of 2019 Safety Week extends Cemex’s previous initiative of Action-Based Safety, which encourages employees to act when they see opportunities for safety improvements in their work environments.
“Our Health and Safety Management System is designed to give our employees what they need to spot potential hazards, then make changes that benefit them and their colleagues,” said Guillermo Martinez, Cemex USA’s executive vice president, human resources and communications. “We want our employees to master the tools provided, so an active safety dialogue continues, and they all go home safe.”
Throughout the week, in addition to the safety stand downs, Cemex USA operations will hold various activities, including specialized trainings, to increase safety awareness.
“Employees need to take action to make sure they stay safe, analyzing every situation and taking proper precautions,” Alan MacVicar, Cemex USA’s vice president of health and safety said. “By using tools they already know and becoming experts, potential safety risks can be fixed as soon as they are identified.”