Health and Safety

Safety begins with workers and returns to them as the final objective of the actions we implement for the overall risk mitigation and management. The phases of the process are planned and implemented through the involvement and participation of the workers themselves. Awareness, as a personal attitude, is one of the key factors in accident prevention.

We believe that injuries and work-related illnesses can be prevented. In achieving our goal of “zero harm” the main attitude required to our managers is the leadership through visible and exemplary behaviours, proactive commitment and indeed involving of employees.

Occupational Health and Safety Policy

We firmly believe that the framework for prevention of work-related incidents and illnesses is the effective implementation and maintenance of OH&S management system aligned with international reference standards and our guidelines and rules. Our commitment is based on the following key requirements.

• Set clear goal and targets and specific action plans with a systemic approach. H&S is an integral part of our strategy.
• Establish clear accountabilities and responsibilities. Respect procedures and rules by workers to guarantee health and safety of all. H&S is a line responsibility. Everybody has a role and responsibility to prevent incidents. 
• Identify and assess the hazards and risks associated with all operational activities (e.g. routine and non-routine, complex operations) as a precondition to provide safe and healthy workplace. H&S is about conducting a prior risk assessment for any operation. 
• Define work-related procedures and practices and up to date them considering the risk assessment, regularly reviewed. Putting in place proven reliable barriers and controls to mitigate risks. H&S is an integral part of all activities, daily. 
• Train and coach employees prior to start their work-related activities. Implement and develop awareness and competence to fulfil their tasks safely. H&S culture is an attitude that need to be trained and encouraged. 
• Learn from accidents and near misses and share experiences with employees. Investigate and report the root causes rigorously. H&S is to learn from failures as well as successes. 
• Comply with all applicable local, regional, national and international Health, Safety and Environment legislation as well as corporate guidelines and rules. Review regularly workplaces and tasks to ensure the compliance. H&S compliance is mandatory and must be constantly guaranteed at all levels of responsibility. 
• Monitor, audit and review regularly the adequacy and effectiveness of OH&S management system, procedures and performances according to reference indicators and Group guideline. Define and implement any necessary corrective measures. H&S is to focus on continuous improvement. 
• Develop a relationship of constructive cooperation, based on utmost openness and trust, both within the group itself and vis-à-vis the external community and the Institutions in the management of health and safety topics. H&S is to promote transparency and collaboration. 

The Golden Rules of our Group

With various offices around the world and several acquisitions over the years, we have decided to implement rules and guidelines valid for everyone, to standardize behavior, share health and safety best practices and create a Group culture based on common principles.
In 2020 we therefore worked on the definition of the Golden Rules, the operational guiding principles of the Group on health and safety at work that we issued at the beginning of 2021 precisely with the aim of preventing accidents and therefore protecting employees at work.

The Golden Rules, which can be supplemented by specific local requirements, are in fact a prerequisite for developing a proactive and responsible safety culture, where the principle "Each one protects everyone" applies.

Read the Sustainability Report

ISO 45001 Standard

The implementation and maintenance of effective management systems for accident prevention is one of the key objectives at Group level. During 2020, all certified cement production plants completed the migration process to the ISO 45001 standard.
At the end of 2021, certified cement plants accounted for 73% of the total and the Group plans to certify all cement production plants by 2022. 

Accident prevention

We are constantly working to prevent injuries.

• Each plant / work area is subjected to periodic controls aimed at highlighting and correcting any risk factors by defining the corrective plans regarding the technical and managerial solutions as well as any updates to the operating and behavioral methods. The actions and results are examined in depth during the periodic safety meetings.
• Scheduled maintenance of individual equipment is coordinated in order to maintain their safety and reliability constant over time.
• Investments and expenses in safety devices (both individual and plant) have the objective of maintaining a high technological and prevention level.
• Technical-specialist and behavioral training is carried out in the classroom and through on-the-job coaching. The necessary technical skills for the safe use of machinery are complemented by information and involvement campaigns for the empowerment of all employees at all levels.
• The periodic improvement and prevention plans are defined and implemented in line with the risk assessment and with the principle of continuous improvement, the cornerstone of the management systems in the field of health and safety in the workplace. On-site contractors are also involved in the process. Specific indicators are monitored to evaluate performance and verify the status and effectiveness of the planned interventions.
• The periodic checks carried out by the Group Internal Audit function provide a measure of the management effectiveness achieved and compliance with local regulatory requirements and Group guidelines on the matter.

Watch the video dedicated to "One Group"

Accidents at work

In 2021, no recordable fatal or high-consequence injuries occurred to directly employed individuals.
Three fatal injuries occurred to contractors. The first at the Türkiye RMC plant was due to electrical shock from contact with a high-voltage cable during an operation conducted unsafely. The second at the Denmark plant harbour area was due to hopper collapse from overloading. The third at the Türkiye aggregates area, inside the cement plant, where an unauthorised worker, for an unknown reason, entered under the conveyor belt. All the events have been analysed and corrective actions planned/implemented, also in collaboration with the contractors.
The lost time injury frequency and severity rates for employees improved by 11% and 33% compared to the last three-year average values. The improvement is confirmation of the effectiveness of the procedure undertaken. Similar trend in lost time injuries has been recorded for contractors.