CCAA unveils enviro, health and safety awards

The CCAA Environment, Health and Safety Awards place exceptional performers in the spotlight and showcase the industry. The Victorian branch of the CCAA announced the state winners at the Construction Materials Industry Dinner on 8 August.

The Hon Nicholas Kotsiras, the Victorian Minister for Energy and Resources conferred the annual awards on Boral (for the best environment innovation) and Hanson (for the OHS innovation award).

Boral was the winner of the Environment Innovation Award. As part of the expansion of the Deer Park Quarry, Boral has reserved 95 hectares of land known as the Northern Grasslands to help the conservation and relocation of the endangered striped legless lizard and plains rice flower. The Northern Grasslands are actively managed with native grass revegetation and weed control works. 

A commendation was also presented to Holcim Australia for its Oaklands Junction Quarry Open Day. Holcim?s event introduced the local industry and community to open days to celebrate the Holcim centenary. The days also demonstrate the value the company places on its relationships with the community, customers, suppliers and other key stakeholders.

The broad range of activities at the open days and the positive relationships developed with local community and other stakeholders impressed the judges. 

The winner of the Occupational Health & Safety Innovation Award was Hanson Heidelberg Cement Group. Hanson designed and installed a conveyor belt turning device at its Bacchus Marsh sand quarry which rotates the belt 180 degrees. It limits the build-up of fines on the rollers and guards, eliminating the need for guard removal and weekly cleaning of 95 per cent of the conveyor length.

{{image2-a:R-w:200}}This device reduces labour for cleaning, replacement of worn rollers, less downtime for cleaning and increases productivity with a payback period of 18 months.

A commendation went to Boral for its Lock Out Tag Out (LOTO) system at its Dunnstown Quarry. This is a new LOTO process for isolating energy to fixed plant that GOES beyond the traditional lock and tag process. The basis of the new system is the visual display and Isolation Lockout Schedules for each job completed, significantly reducing the risk associated with plant maintenance. 

Other awards went to:

• Boral for rehabilitation of its Bacchus Marsh Quarry to reduce dust and visual impact. 
• Holcim Australia for its emergency stop of cementitious product flow from silos to the weigh hopper.
• Holcim Australia for the tamper proof silo blow-in points developed to eliminate silo overfilling.
• Boral for safe on-site addition of concrete additives. 
• Boral for a door to the wash out box for waste concrete at a concrete plant that can be removed by a forklift. 
• Boral for its standardised procedure for identifying safety and maintenance hazards at set inspections points at concrete plants. 
• Holcim Australia for an adjustable, manoeuvrable, ergonomic splitting table that reduces manual handling risks. 
• Holcim Australia for a personal dust blower that safely removes silica dust from workers? clothes.
• Holcim Australia for overhead hoses with a breakaway coupling system installed at truck water fill points at concrete load bays to remove the trip hazard of unrolled hoses.

The winners of the Victorian awards are also eligible for the CCAA?s National EHS Awards. These will be announced at the Construction Materials Industry Conference in Brisbane in September 2014.