Nine projects and programs that improve safety at cement plants in the United States and Canada

The Best Safe Practices Awards Task Force (of the American Portland Cement Alliance's Occupational Health and Safety Committee) looks for examples of how the cement industry is making its plants safer places to work. The goals are to 1) honor innovative practices, programs, and projects throughout the industry; 2) communicate these ideas to others in the North American cement industry; and 3) raise the profile and importance of these safety programs both inside and outside the industry.

Nearly 50 entries were judged by the task force, and winners in five categories-Quarry, Milling/Grinding, Pyroprocessing, General Facility, and Distributor-received a Kodak DC210 Digital Camera. The awards are co-sponsored by the Portland Cement Association, the American Portland Cement Alliance, and the Canadian Portland Cement Association.

QUARRY Ash Grove Cement Company,

Chanute, Kansas

To remind haul truck operators that their bed is up so as to remove the potential for accidents, Ash Grove added indicators to all of its haul trucks at its Chanute Plant. The plant has buildings that vehicles back into, overhead power lines and conveyor belts, and bridges that could all be caught by a truck bed being left in the dump position. Since the company has yet to find equipment that comes with an indicator that is difficult to ignore, Ash Grove equips each haul truck with a custom "bed-up" indicator flag before it is put to use. These flags are manufactured by shop personnel from scrap, casters, and a pillow block bearing. Each takes about 1 hour to build and install at a total cost of about $60 per flag. The arm is set up to lower the indicator flag in front of the driver's windshield as the bed is raised. It has the words "BED UP" stenciled onto the flag side facing the driver. It is a passive device insofar as it will not disable or brake the vehicle and serves to alert the driver to the bed position. Once the bed is lowered, the arm and flag retract up near the top of the cab and out of sight.

MILLING/GRINDING Blue Circle Cement,

Ravena, New York

During the regular maintenance and overhaul of the plant's ball mills, full-body harnesses, safety lines, and tie offs were cumbersome and difficult to use and maintain while working on the topside of the ball mills. Therefore, Ravena's Safety Committee was tasked with providing safe access and fall protection to the topside of the ball mills. The ball mill crews were asked to suggest ideas and designs that they could work with while maintaining their mills and still meet the standards required by MSHA and the plant safety department. The resulting fence wall with flip-down guards now ensures a safe work zone for the entire length of the mills. The guards eliminate the possibility of falls, and workers no longer need restrictive lines and harnesses tied off.

PYROPROCESSING Ash Grove Cement Company

Montana City Plant, Clancy, Montana

The Montana City Plant currently uses a type of fine, pulverized coal known as SYNCOAL as a primary fuel source. This coal products is shipped into the plant in sealed rail cars and is conveyed pneumatically into plant storage through a pneumatic transfer pressure vessel (pod) system. The project involved a confined space entry into the pneumatic transfer vessel to repair a pod discharge valve that had failed. The coal pod is a pressure vessel of approximately 8 Yen 8 Yen 8 ft, buried underground at a depth of 20 ft. The goal of the project was to replace the faulty pod discharge valve in a 6-hour time window to prevent running out of coal in storage. Prior to entering the space, all safety provisions were reviewed and all potentially hazardous conditions were abated. First Aid personnel and emergency extraction equipment was standing by. Rescue personnel were fully suited up to assist. The breathing atmosphere was monitored at all times by instruments that measure O2, CO, and explosive gasses. The entrant used supplied air from a compressor outside the space. To minimize the suspension of explosive coal dust, the pod was emptied of coal with a vacuum truck and then lightly wetted down to control dust. Explosion-proof trouble lights were used exclusively.

DISTRIBUTION Blue Circle Cement,

Sparrows Point, Maryland

A permanent service platform was fabricated and installed on each loading spout to provide safer work conditions. Prior to this installation, maintenance work on both the inboard and outboard barge loading spouts required mechanics to be suspended from ropes about 20 to 30 ft above the water. Although utilizing proper personal flotation devices and fall-protection equipment was a viable practice, without firm footing the repair work was difficult. The Sparrows Point Plant Maintenance Department fabricated and installed a two-level service platform around each loading spout. The platforms have grated flooring for secure footing along with regulation 42-in. handrails. Access ladders are permanently installed and provide entry from the above gantry.

DISTRIBUTION Allentown Cement Company

Evansville, Pennsylvania

The shipping department identified flatbed tarping of bagged product as an area requiring improved access. The goal of the shipping department was to provide safe and efficient access for customers tarping their flatbeds. The engineering and safety department evaluated similar efforts of other cement companies in an effort to improve on previous designs. After reviewing options to meet the company and customer needs, a tarping station was designed and later constructed. The station has two drive-through truck bays to minimize customer waiting time. The railings that surround the stacked pallets of bagged cement are adjustable so they may be drawn away from the trailer once the driver is ready to exit the station. Letters with instructions for use of the station were sent to customers, and as a result, usage has been excellent.

DISTRIBUTION Holnam's Barge Terminals in Minneapolis, Chicago, & Nashville

As a result of increasing demand, Holnam is using more barges to deliver its product to distribution centers. Conventional barges required the handling of large steel and fiberglass lift tops. Lattice boom and mobile cranes were readily available and used to remove the lids. However, these pieces of equipment were complex and required that the operator have a comprehensive understanding of load charts, rigging gear, machine leveling, and stabilization, as well as the dynamic effects of boom angle and length. Holnam wanted a safer alternative for cranes and found that knuckle boom pedestal-mounted cranes were the answer. Already used by the oil industry, these cranes are permanently mounted on bases that are attached to the barge, dock, or river cell. Although these cranes also require training, the operator comfort level and proficiency is reached in much less time. Thus, the need to deal with load charts, boom angles, and length and stability is eliminated as the knuckle boom crane has a built-in overload safety feature. When the crane detects an overload, the hydraulic system opens a relief valve that does not allow the crane to operate until the overload condition is resolved. The crane also is remote controlled and allows the operator to move around and have better vision. Capital cost for the knuckle boom crane is about $150,000

GENERAL FACILITY Lafarge Corporation, Fredonia, Kansas

The Fredonia plant has about a dozen material hoppers that are loaded with front-end loaders. These hoppers are equipped with belt conveyor withdrawal. The company fabricated counter-weighted barrier arms that can be lowered into place and locked shut when the maintenance department is performing maintenance inside the hopper or on the withdrawal conveyor. The crossbar is equipped with signs that say "Danger-Men Working," and they block access to the hoppers. The signs were installed for a cost of $250 each.

GENERAL FACILITY Lafarge Canada, Inc.

St. Constant, Quebec

At this plant, noisy electromagnetic vibrators are used to evacuate raw materials and cement of storage bins and silos. These vibrators generate more than 125 dB. The substitution of this equipment permitted to reduce the noise exposure of more than 45 dB. In fact, the new eccentric vibrators generate less than 80 dB, and their efficiency is said to be as good as the old ones. The cost of this equipment is about $1,000 each, depending on the size. Changing all the vibrators used around the plant is part of the company's noise-reduction program, starting first with the noisiest ones. Simultaneously, to limit the continuous utilization of vibrators, a self-start system based on the lack of material on the weight feeder was installed. This practice reduces the use of vibrators only when needed.

GENERAL FACILITY Southdown, Fairborn Plant,

Xenia, Ohio

In 1998, the Fairborn plant decided to do some specialized training as part of its annual MSHA safety training. Four separate 4-hour training classes, conducted by Dalloz Fall Protection, were scheduled at the Fairborn Plant. The training included classroom and hands-on exercises. Everyone that wanted to was fitted in a safety harness and suspended by a cable so as to show the right and wrong way to wear a safety harness. A test dummy was used at the end of the program to demonstrate what happens to a lanyard that has been in a fall and how much force is absorbed by using the proper safety equipment. The cost of this training was $8,000. A committee has since been formed at the plant to order new fall protection equipment for the plant.