Safety & Health
Members of CalCIMA place high importance on safety and health. Surface mines, concrete, and asphalt operations have well developed safety programs to protect employees whether on the work site, in transit to job sites, or on a construction site. Importantly, members of CalCIMA have been pro-active in improving safety. These are a few:
- Because of the hazards inherent in trucks constantly travelling onto their sites to pick up and deliver materials, while navigating through complex operations, CalCIMA’s Safety and Health Committee successfully pursued legislation to amend the CA Vehicle Code to require that a back-up alarm be required on all trucks (SB 341-Lowenhtal, PL. #2011-235).
- Also, when the federal Mine Safety & Health Administration was unable to continue annual safety training, CalCIMA’s Safety & Health Committee took up the charge and began sponsoring annual Spring Thaw Safety Conferences. Two conferences are held each year in Southern and Northern California each winter to spend a day reviewing best safety practices. These have taken place for 15 years.
- The committee has developed a number of safety materials to assist members, including pamphlets, presentations, and signs on best practices and managing trucks and equipment on site. Another series assist operators in managing contractors that work on their operations. These can be downloaded and printed. For the truck safety sign, contact CalCIMA for access to high resolution files.
- The committee has also instituted a unique and popular safety awards program. Instead of only focusing on statistics, the awards focus on what is actually happening in regard to safety at a location—the safety culture, the communication, employee involvement, and engineering innovations. This rigorous award program requires applicants to submit a detailed essay on how they are achieving these goals. And, it requires senior management to engage in the application process.
- The committee maintains a robust engagement program with key regulatory agencies. This includes regular meetings with the Mine Safety & Health Administration and Cal/OSHA’s Mining & Tunneling Unit.
- During the COVID-19 pandemic, the committee has taken a leading role in advising companies on safe practices to maintain essential work functions for society.
.gif)