The first
thing that visitors notice when they go to a manufacturing facility of Holcim Philippines is
how strictly the company implements its safety policies.
Plant
visitors who need to go outside the administrative building are required to use
“personal protective equipment” – hard hats, steel-toed boots and reflectorized
shirts or vests. If they go to the manufacturing areas, they will also be asked
to put on dust masks, goggles, gloves and something that looks like marshmallow
candies but are actually ear plugs.
At the
gate, all non-plant employees are given a safety manual and briefed on how to
conduct themselves inside the facility. The reminders continue inside the
plant, as signage after signage prompt them to stay alert.
Holcim Philippines
exercises all these precautions because it is aware that like all heavy
manufacturing operations, cement production necessarily involves safety risks.
As such, it exerts tremendous effort to ensure that no one is harmed within its
sites or even when its products and raw materials are transported to and from
its facilities. Passion for Safety is how the company describes this
organizational mindset.
“All
companies say that people are their most important resource and they translate
this through competitive compensation and benefits. We do this as well at
Holcim Philippines
but, more importantly, we believe that taking care of our people begins by
creating a safe working environment for them. Everyone who enters our
facilities must leave in the same healthy condition as they arrived,” said
Carla Calimbas, vice-president for Occupational Health and Safety at Holcim Philippines.
Since 2007,
the company has spent tens of millions to support its safety program – putting
in the necessary infrastructure, systems and processes, organizational and
training support necessary to ensure compliance to stringent Holcim global
standards.
From a
two-man operation, Holcim’s Occupational Health and Safety team has grown to a
team of 35 dedicated safety professionals. Apart from in-site safety managers,
the team also employs technical experts such as Safety Application Specialists
who undergo intensive training in managing high-risk operations such as working
at heights, demolition, excavation, and work in confined spaces. Each major
facility has an emergency response team (ERT), whose members are trained in
basic firefighting and medical rescue. As the plants also have their own fire
truck and ambulance, it is not uncommon for the ERT to be the first to arrive
in cases of emergencies or relief efforts in their surrounding communities.
But
OH&S is the first to remind that workplace safety is not just the
responsibility of their department, or even of management. “Safety has two
critical components: a safety environment, and safety behavior,” reminds
Calimbas. “Management works to ensure a safe environment, but each one is
expected to look out for each other’s safety.”
Safety is
always the first topic to be discussed in every management meeting – whether in
the Board Meeting, Management Committee meeting, or plant operations meeting.
Every month, the company’s top executives and plant managers set aside half a
day to discuss nothing but safety, including updates on the programs being done
at the various sites to monitor and improve safety. Safety indicators are
likewise incorporated in assessing the performance of all of the company’s more
than 1,600 employees.
Personal
health and wellness is an important element of OH&S and employees are
encouraged to take this seriously. Annual physical exams are not just
encouraged, but required as an integral part of the performance metrics.
Employees are also required to discuss their physical exam results with the
company doctor. Those with health issues must submit a plan for improvement.
Holcim
Philippines counts on its people to help track safety incidents in its
facilities by encouraging them to report these. Employees are also taught to
report potential hazards or “near misses” – that is, incidents that could have
resulted to an accident. When a major incident occurs, the Safety department
sends out a company-wide bulletin that provides details along with steps on how
to prevent it from happening again.
“It is very
important that safety incidents are reported to help us better understand risks
and hazards and, in the process, come up with appropriate solutions,” Calimbas
said.
The safety
efforts not only cover employees, but also extend to contractors and customers.
Safety is an important element of the Company’s contractor management program,
and is integrated in its accreditation and performance monitoring processes.
Suppliers who wish to be accredited must meet the same stringent safety
standards that are followed by employees, and any breach will be cause for
termination.
As
vehicle-related incidents account for most safety incidents – in the company
and possibly in the country – the Company especially focuses on its haulers.
Among other requirements, truck operators must provide personal protective equipment for their
drivers and helpers, submit reports on the preventive maintenance of their
fleets, follow specific rules on tarping and lashing, and ensure that their
drivers complete a one-day Holcim-hosted training seminar along with a
defensive driving course from an accredited trainer. Such requirements may seem
excessive but in a country where road accidents are the fourth leading cause of
death, these are certainly called for. At the very least, it is the Company’s
way of helping professionalize the hauling industry and keeping our roads
safe.
“Our
haulers are our business partners; we extend the same safe environment that we
give to our employees and, at the same time, demand the same compliance. We may
not able to exert control on them especially when they are outside our
facilities, but we hope that our constant reminders and efforts to raise safety
awareness will influence behavior. When they comply with simple safety
guidelines such as following the speed limit, wearing seatbelts, taking breaks
to prevent fatigue – these add up to help them stay away from harm,” she said.
Calimbas
said Holcim Philippines
continues to make headway in developing a Safety Culture, but knows there is
still a lot to be done in continuously ensuring the company’s goal of Zero
Harm.
“We cannot
let up in our safety efforts because people’s lives are at stake,” says
Calimbas. “But I think we are succeeding in driving home the point to our
employees and business partners -- that all these safety regulations and
policies are for their own benefit, as these are meant to keep them safe so
they can go home to their families. “
