Today we publish a punchlist of immediate responses that cement plants and businesses should take into account to enhance readiness in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Longer-term preparations and planning to promote readiness for such a pandemic are also considered.

Immediate responses

  • Follow the instructions and requirements of their local government
  • Strongly promote personal hygiene and regular handwashing and sterilising in the cement plant
  • Make additional facilities available for regular handwashing and sterilising
  • Ensure workplaces are cleaned and sterilised during shift change-overs
  • Close the cement plant to all visits
  • Only operations, maintenance and plant management people to attend the cement plant
  • Commercial and business management to work from home or offices remote from the cement plant
  • Minimise social gatherings at meal times and breaks
  • Close canteens and mess rooms
  • Deliver food to plant operators at their place of work
  • Review process intervention procedures and plant maintenance to minimise close contact while maintaining safe working and communications
  • Hold plant management meetings using software and electronic communications, ie not face-to-face
  • Sales people to use telephone and electronic communications to contact customers
  • Identify deputies and replacements for every key role on the cement plant
  • Regularly review and update the risk register, with particular attention to pandemic mitigation
  • Use this time when interactions are minimised to launch initiatives as described below in longer-term planning. 

Longer-term preparations and planning

  • Launch initiatives to minimise the need for face-to-face interaction in the business and on the cement plant:
    – digital transformation of sales and distribution
    – automation of plant operation and surveillance
    – deployment of artificial intelligence and Industry 4.0.
  • Review career development, training and succession planning
  • Build human capital through training and personnel development.

Read the full Technical Forum article on cement plant and company readiness for the Covid-19 pandemic.