Lafarge celebrate major safety milestone

Company’s Aberthaw cement works achieves four years without a lost-time injury

THE team at Lafarge’s Aberthaw Works is finishing the year with another special milestone to add to its 2012 centenary celebrations. The site has now achieved four years without a lost-time injury.

Aberthaw Works manager James Kirkpatrick commented: ‘The safety of employees, contractors and visitors to the Works is always our most important focus. With cement manufacture being such a complex operation involving a workforce of around 100 and round-the-clock activities, safety becomes even more in focus.

‘It is a fantastic achievement to go for such a long period without a lost-time injury. The year-round hard work of the whole team here really paid off and also contributed to Lafarge’s overall UK safety goal of Zero Harm across its operations.’

Traditionally within the Lafarge Group, works teams have always celebrated their successes.  And as this milestone was achieved so close to Christmas, it seemed appropriate to reward the whole team with the gift of a hamper.

Mr Kirkpatrick continued: ‘The whole team here has worked incredibly hard to maintain its daily focus on ‘safety first’ and go through four years without a lost-time injury. Through continued hard work and constant vigilance on safety in all aspects of our operation, we have managed to maintain our safety performance and achieve this record.

‘I congratulate everyone who has played a part and encourage everyone to continue with this commitment to safe working.’

The Lafarge team’s celebrations come at a time when they are saying farewell to Mr Kirkpatrick as their works manager. He is moving on to a technical role with Lafarge in Egypt and will be replaced in the New Year by colleague Raul Morales, who is currently working on Lafarge’s proposed joint venture with Tarmac.