Cement industry commit to accident reduction

The British cement industry has committed itself to achieving a 30% reduction in injury rates every year until 2010 compared to a baseline of 2003.

The commitment was officially made at a UK cement industry health and safety seminar at Warwick University. Speaking after the event, Health & Safety Commission chairman Bill Callaghan said: "While the UK cement industry has achieved substantial reductions in accident rates in recent years, I am impressed by its even more challenging reduction targets for the future. I will follow with interest the industry's progress in demonstrating that its health and safety systems are truly robust and 'world class'."

Chief executives of the four British cement manufacturers - Buxton Lime Industries, Castle Cement, Lafarge Cement UK and Rugby Cement - have given their full backing and formally signed up to the initiative, Cementing good practice.

Chairman of the industry's steering group on health and safety and managing director of Castle Cement, Peter Weller, said: "We have worked hard over the last 10 years to reduce accident rates by two-thirds but we accept that we have got to do better still. Our vision is to create an environment where accidents and ill-health do not occur."

"A 30% year-on-year reduction in injuries is a challenging target but we are giving this commitment at the very highest level and we are determined to succeed," he added.

Areas identified for immediate action include:

• Accidents caused by falls from height, transport, slips and trips.
• Management of the industry's process operations, general maintenance and contractors working on site.
• Occupational health including product safety.