The latest UK Safety Alert relates to an incident last month in the UK where a colleague suffered tendon damage to his ankle as he stepped down from a forklift truck, causing him to have to take time off work.

As you will see, the injured person exited the cab of the forklift forwards rather than backwards with three points of contact, when his foot slipped off the lower step landing on a wooden baton.

The local team are reviewing whether any improvements can be made to the production processes to eliminate or reduce the potential for further injuries of this nature, however, the incident acts as a reminder of the importance of promoting and following the Safety Essentials, particularly the need to “Get a Grip” and maintain three points of contact when getting in and out of vehicles.

The investigation identified it is not uncommon for operators at the site to forget to exit their cabs facing their vehicles with three points of contact; by promoting a culture where team members STEP IN if they see a colleague at increased risk of injury due to unsafe conditions or behaviours, we can all Look After Ourselves and Each Other, our #1 Safety Essential!

Please discuss the Alert with your teams, taking time to consider if there is anything you can do collectively to reinforce the Safety Essentials and STEP IN / Take 5 Together culture.

Thankfully, our colleague has made a good recovery and is back at work.

The Alert should also be displayed on relevant notice boards. You can find the alert on the UK News download page here

Global Safety Alert

The latest Global Safety Alert relates to the death of an employee outside of the EMEA Region who was tragically struck by a rail wagon while tidying the sidings at a Cement Plant.

In addition to ensuring personnel are:

• Suitably trained and competent in the work they are required to do.
• With a good knowledge of the relevant procedures.
• Are effectively supervised.
• Apply the specific learning points detailed in the Alert, which includes the need to restrict access to danger zones and use Permits to Work as appropriate.

The following points may also be relevant to rail operations:

• Do personnel require formal training, such as Rail Safety Awareness Training, or Personal Track Safety Training?
• Where people are working alone, is a second person required to act as a lookout?
• Do personnel have radio contact with a designated Person in Charge?

Please discuss the Alert with your team and review if action is required to close any gaps in local procedures.

The Alert should also be displayed on relevant notice boards. You can find the alert on the UK News download page here

Cemex Global Protocols require all Fatal Alerts to be communicated and Managers to capture the signature of employees and contractors to confirm they have received and understood the information and the control measures they need to adopt. In addition, operations are invited to observe a one-minute silence in memory of the deceased at the time of discussing a Fatal Incident Safety Alert.

Before starting any new task always STOP, THINK… & CHECK it is safe, and always STEP IN if you see anything unsafe.

 LOOK AFTER YOURSELF AND EACH OTHER.