Puerto Rico: Cemex agrees penalties for MSHA safety violations

The US Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration announced that Cemex de Puerto Rico has agreed to pay US$291,722 in penalties and implement enhanced safety measures at its three MSHA-regulated facilities in Puerto Rico.

The settlement resolves 119 citations and orders issued for safety violations at the company’s Ponce Cement plant and Cantera Canas mines. MSHA issued the citations and orders for a wide variety of violations, including obstructed and unsafe travel ways and workplaces, safety defects on mobile equipment and machinery, and unguarded machine parts.

Cemex de Puerto Rico has agreed to undertake enhanced measures to address and improve safety conditions at the Ponce Cement Plant, Cantera Canas and its third mine in Puerto Rico, Florida Lime.

The improvement measures include the need for independent annual, wall-to-wall employee safety audits of these three facilities over the next four years, plus a mine safety course and cement plant safety course from MSHA’s Educational Field and Small Mine Services.