Punchlist: cement plant readiness for the COVID-19 pandemic

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.