Saturday, 7 December 2013 00:01
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Holcim Lanka is the local subsidiary to the global construction giant, currently operating worldwide. Being the market leader in the cement industry, the company focuses on economic, social and environmental performance along the triple bottom line of sustainable development.
The company currently operates one fully integrated cement plant in Puttalam, while also operating a grinding plant in Galle, with expansion projects taking place throughout the country.
Having established the brand in Sri Lanka, Holcim Lanka today provides a range of cement products while also providing materials for major construction projects in the country alongside the provision of technical expertise through the Holcim Innovation and Application Centre, which allows customers to tailor the mix of cement most suitable for them.
Ensuring safety
Rapid expansion and engagement in large scale constructions have inevitably placed Holcim Lanka among the ranks of corporate entities faced with the challenge of ensuring safety in daily operations.
Due to the rapid increase in development activity of the island, a large number of unskilled labourers have joined the construction industry. This abundance of workers who lack technical experience further complicates the challenge of ensuring safety parameters. Many counteractions have been established by Holcim Lanka in alleviating not only the safety standards of its operations but in the industry as a whole.
Awareness and training lie at the heart of these initiatives, which require expert intervention strategies as well as a commitment to the target of achieving such ideals as ‘zero harm’.
Safety Week
As a highlight milestone of the safety campaign conducted by Holcim Lanka, a Safety Week was declared in the month of October at all HLL work places. The concept of a Safety Week addressed the major challenges faced by safety managers on site and the occupational health and safety department of Holcim Lanka as a whole in addition to other safety risks encountered by employees and the general population.
The campaign was initiated at the company headquarters in Colombo. The preliminary seminar session was conducted by Dr. C.M.A Anthony, encompassing the basic concepts and practical applications of ergonomic awareness. The seminar saw a strong turnout and was followed by an emergency preparedness drill carried out with the participation of all Holcim Lanka employees.
STD prevention
Taking on a slightly varied facet of safety awareness another seminar was conducted by Dr. Kalinga Ginige on the topic of sexually transmitted disease prevention, again with a strong participation level. These seminars were extended and made accessible through educational material and informative content passed around among the Holcim Lanka staff following the seminar itself.
Having successfully initiated the Safety Week in Colombo, the Holcim Lanka Occupational Health and Safety team concurrently continued the initiative in Puttalam. Under a request made by the Naval Commander of the North western area, an awareness campaign was conducted for selected technical officers of the Sri Lanka Navy on safe work practices. The STD prevention seminar was conducted in Puttalam as well.
Art competition
Furthermore an art competition was held for children in the area. This refreshing change of pace was conducted by the much loved actor Rodney Warnakula together with veteran artist S.H Sarath. Another loved character among children, Rodney Priyantha conducted an event to educate children about safety through drama.
The art competition set the stage for a more serious domestic accident prevention program which was conducted targeting the community residing in the area. The activities in the Puttalam area came to a close with the conclusion of a housekeeping day program.
Galle was another location wherein the Safety Week was successfully carried out. An art competition and ergonomic awareness program were among the highlights of the extension. A highly successful emergency preparedness mock drill was also carried out and concluded in Galle alongside the regional quiz competitions through which participant teams were selected for the finale.
‘Shramadana’ and safety audit
The Geocycle Pre Processing Facility in Katunayake was the final location where the Safety Week was conducted simultaneously. A school level ‘shramadana’ and safety audit was carried out at the Dhammaloka Vidyalaya in Heenatiyana as part of the initiative and included the unveiling of a Green Bank at the school along with an awareness seminar carried out targeting the students.
The highly successful Safety Week was brought to a close with a live telecast from three locations. A special induction was also released parallel to the event along with a safety quiz competition with the participation of finalists selected from preliminary quiz rounds held at each plant.
Commitment to highest safety standards
Furthermore, the management and the executive committee of Holcim Lanka expressed their commitment towards highest standards of safety possible. This statement of intentions come at a point when Holcim is primarily concerned on achieving progress on the triple bottom line and the management of Holcim is of the view that ensuring safety is a primary area in the ‘people’ facet of the triple bottom line.
Releasing a statement Holcim Lanka also expressed their satisfaction with the event and expressed their intentions to continue the conceptual model of hosting an island wide safety week on an annual basis in a progressive manner where the impact is progressive in the coming years.
