During last month’s Portland Cement Association’s (PCA) Spring Board Meeting and Fly-In in Washington, D.C., the association recognized companies for their outstanding environmental and community relations efforts, creative safety enhancing projects, and outstanding safety performance in the manufacturing of portland cement.
Energy and Environment Awards
The awards recognize outstanding environmental and community relations efforts that go above and beyond what is required. Submissions from plants across the U.S. were evaluated and recognized for environmental efforts completed in 2016.
“America’s cement manufacturers are committed to making the highest quality product with a minimal environmental footprint,” said PCA President and CEO James G. Toscas. “The companies recognized today are examples of how this commitment underpins every day work at cement plants around the country. Their strong culture of innovation has led to energy efficiency and sustainable manufacturing practices that are continually lowering the impact of the cement industry on our environment.”
The following plants were named 2017 E&E Award winners:
- Energy Efficiency – Cemex USA, Victorville, Calif.
- Land Stewardship – Continental Cement Co./Green America Recycling, Hannibal, Mo.
- Outreach – Mitsubishi Cement Corp., Lucerne Valley, Calif.
- Environmental Performance – Cemex USA, Victorville, Calif.
Safety Innovation Awards
Winners were determined by a panel of judges that evaluated innovative submissions from across the country in four categories, recognizing creative safety-enhancing projects in the cement industry.
“Employee and workplace safety is a core value of the American cement industry,” said Toscas. “We congratulate the winners and are proud of their effort to pursue excellence in safety innovation for their company and their colleagues.”
The following are the 2017 Safety Innovation Award winners:
- Mining & Grinding – Ash Grove Cement, Montana City, Mo.
- Pyroprocessing – Cemex USA, Balcones, Texas.
- Distribution – CalPortland Cement Terminal, Portland, Ore.; and LafargeHolcim, Corporate Program, Chicago.
- General Facility – Ash Grove Cement, Midlothian, Texas.
Chairman’s Safety Awards
These awards recognize outstanding safety performance in the manufacturing of portland cement. The nine winners were selected from 100 cement facilities across the U.S. found to be the highest performers in safety.
“The facilities recognized today are to be congratulated for their safety achievements,” said Allen Hamblen, PCA chairman and president and CEO of CalPortland. “The cement industry is dedicated to the safety of our plants and the people who work in them. They produce the cement that is used as the literal foundation of our daily lives – in homes, roads, schools, hospitals and office buildings.”
The following are the 2017 PCA Chairman’s Safety Performance Award winners:
- Less than 226,000 hours – Buzzi Unicem, Chattanooga, Tenn.; Lehigh Hanson, Tehachapi, Calif.; and LafargeHolcim, Morgan, Utah.
- 226,001 to 289,000 hours – GCC Permian, Odessa, Texas; Ash Grove Cement, Foreman, Ark.; and Lehigh Hanson, Leeds, Ala.
- 289,001 to 563,000 hours – Cemex, Brooksville, Fla.; Martin Marietta, New Braunfels, Texas; and Cemex, New Braunfels.
