Concrete

Safety audit should be considered as improvement in a positive way

Published

4 years ago

February 1, 2022

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Kanishk Khanna, CEO, Elion Technologies and Consulting Private Limited, delves into the important process of safety audits at cement plants and its impact on the safety measures that are implemented by companies to remain in compliance with governmental guidelines.

What is the importance of safety audits for cement plants?

Everyone wants to work with safety, and every cement company is taking a proactive approach to have zero incidents but the responsibilities of safety lie with the internal department and safety team. Most of the time some small and big hazards are overlooked by the staff as they are usually working in the same conditions over a period of time and have seen no fatalities. During the safety audit, a fresh approach is adopted to identify the hazard, which due to the day-to-day operations are not considered.

What are the key parameters on which a cement plant is audited?

A cement plant is audited on the parameters like safety culture, behaviour safety, adoption and implementation of use of personal protective equipment (PPE), work permit system and its implementation from top to down levels and contractor safety.

How often should a cement manufacturing unit be audited?

All cement plants should be audited two times – one while the plant is under planned shutdown and once during normal operation.

What are the key safety concerns in a cement plant?

They key areas of safety concern in a cement plant are:

Fall and Trip
Working at Height
Hot Works
Slip and Trip
Vibration and Noise
Dust
Vehicle Accident

How do you ensure safety standards are maintained in a cement plant?

Safety in any cement plant can be ensured and maintained with regular safety audits and by providing safety orientation and training to all employees and workmen in the plant.

Tell us more about the preparation and presentation of audit reports.

The safety audit report is self speaking with pictorial evidence of identified hazards and risks that exist. The report also includes practical possible measures to be taken to mitigate the hazard.

What are the major challenges you face during safety audits?

Safety audit should be considered as improvement in a positive way but mostly at down the level it is considered more as statutory implementation. This mindset is the major challenge faced during safety audits.

During the audit the people try to hide the correct information and do not allow or take us to the areas where significant hazard may exist.

How can technology help improve safety standards in a cement manufacturing unit?

Availability of internet of things (IOT) devices and technology surveillance helps to manage regular safety in the plant. People not wearing the required PPE can immediately be identified through various recognition systems. New advanced technology devices can help people to work safely and securely.

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Concrete

Ultra Concrete Age

Prof. A. S. Khanna (Retd., IIT Bombay) on how Ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) improves strength, durability and lifecycle performance.

Published

2 weeks ago

April 1, 2026

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The need of present time is stronger buildings, industrial or common utility buildings, such as Malls, Railway stations, hospitals, offices, bridges etc. For this, there is need of long durable, tough and stable concrete, which could stand under normal and seismic conditions. Tough railway bridges are required for bullet trains to pass without any damage. Railway tunnels, sea-links, coastal roads, bridges and multistorey buildings, are the need of the hour. The question comes, is the normal cement called OPC is sufficient to take care of such requirements or better combination of cements and sand mixtures is required?

Introduction

A good stable building structure can be made with a good quality of cement+sand+water system. Its quality can be enhanced by keeping the density of admixture higher (varies from 30 in normal buildings to bridges etc to 80). Further enhancement in the properties of various cements admixtures is made by adding several additives which give additional strength, waterproofing, flexibility etc. These are called construction chemicals…

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Concrete

NCB Signs MoU With Cement Manufacturer To Boost Construction Skills

Partnership to deliver nationwide training and certification

Published

2 weeks ago

March 31, 2026

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The National Council for Cement and Building Materials (NCB) has signed a memorandum of understanding with a leading cement manufacturer to strengthen skill development and capacity building in the construction sector. The agreement was formalised at NCB premises in Ballabgarh and was signed by the Director General of NCB, Dr L. P. Singh, and the head of technical services at UltraTech Cement Limited, Er Rahul Goel. The collaboration seeks to bring institutional resources and industry expertise into a structured national training effort.

The partnership will deliver structured training and certification programmes across the country aimed at enhancing the capabilities of civil engineers, ready?mix concrete (RMC) professionals, contractors, construction workers and masons. Programme curricula will cover material quality testing, concrete mix proportioning, durability assessment and sustainable construction practices to support improved construction outcomes. Emphasis is to be placed on standardised assessment and certification to raise practice levels across diverse construction roles.

Practical learning elements will include workshops, site demonstrations, technical seminars and exposure visits to plants and RMC facilities to strengthen applied skills and on?site decision making. The Director General indicated confidence that a large number of professionals and workers would be trained over the next three to five years under the initiative. The partnership is designed to complement flagship government schemes such as the Skill India Mission and to align training outputs with national infrastructure priorities.

By combining the council’s technical mandate with industry experience, the initiative aims to develop a more skilled and quality?conscious workforce capable of meeting rising demand in infrastructure and housing. NCB will continue to coordinate programme delivery and quality assurance while industry partners provide practical exposure and technical inputs. The collaboration is expected to support long?term capacity building and more sustainable construction practices nationwide.

Concrete

JSW Cement Commissions Nagaur Plant, Enters North India

New Rajasthan unit boosts capacity to 24.1 MTPA and expands reach

Published

2 weeks ago

March 30, 2026

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JSW Cement has strengthened its national presence by commencing production at its greenfield integrated cement plant in Nagaur, Rajasthan, marking its entry into the north Indian market.

With this commissioning, the company’s installed grinding capacity has increased to 24.1 MTPA, while total clinker capacity, including its joint venture operations, stands at 9.74 MTPA.

The Nagaur facility comprises a 3.30 MTPA clinkerisation unit and a 2.50 MTPA cement grinding unit, with an additional 1.00 MTPA grinding capacity currently under development. Strategically located, the plant is positioned to serve high-growth markets across Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and the NCR.

The project has been funded through a mix of equity and long-term debt, with Rs 800 crore allocated from IPO proceeds towards part-financing the unit.

Parth Jindal, Managing Director, JSW Cement, stated that the commissioning marks a key milestone in the company’s ambition to become a pan-India player. He added that the project was completed within 21 months and positions the company to achieve its targeted capacity of 41.85 MTPA by FY29.

Nilesh Narwekar, CEO, JSW Cement, highlighted that the expansion aligns with the company’s strategy to tap into rapidly growing northern markets driven by infrastructure development. He noted that the company remains focused on delivering high-quality, eco-friendly cement solutions while progressing towards its long-term capacity goal of 60 MTPA.

The Nagaur plant has been designed with sustainability features, including co-processing of alternative fuels and a 7 km overland belt conveyor for limestone transport to reduce road emissions. The facility will also incorporate a 16 MW Waste Heat Recovery System to improve energy efficiency and lower its carbon footprint.

JSW Cement, part of the JSW Group, operates across the building materials value chain and currently has eight plants across India, along with a clinker unit in the UAE through its joint venture.