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ArcelorMittal Ostrava Reduces Workplace Injuries to Lowest Level in its History

ArcelorMittal Ostrava has achieved the best results in the area of work safety in the history of the company. For the entire year 2013 the company had five lost time injuries. This result was achieved thanks to diligent observation of health and safety (H&S) rules and thanks to innovative projects in the area of H&S protection. One of these projects is being implemented with participation of students from the Faculty of Safety Engineering of the Technical University of Ostrava. Since 2006, ArcelorMittal Ostrava has held the Safe Enterprise certificate.
 
ArcelorMittal Ostrava has been focusing on H&S protection of its employees on a long-term basis. Reducing the number of injuries is the priority for the company. “Steelmaking operations are dangerous in terms of safety. Therefore, without any exceptions we insist on diligent observation of the prescribed work procedures and rules that protect our employees against injuries. We want all employees to return home from work healthy,” explained Tapas Rajderkar, the CEO of ArcelorMittal Ostrava.
 
Improving the results in the H&S area is also supported by numerous preventive activities implemented in the mill such as frequent tests for alcohol or narcotics, checking observation of the speed limits within the premises of the mill, analyses of near misses and unsafe situations, behavior-based audits or the shared vigilance concept in which the employee pays attention not only to his own safety but also to safety of her colleagues.
 
Last year the company prepared a new project in cooperation with the Faculty of Safety Engineering of the Technical University of Ostrava. After a thorough training, 18 students perform safety supervision in the mill during modernizations and repair projects for which the company, besides its own employees, uses contractors as well. “They help us to evaluate safety at the worksite from another perspective. Thanks to the fact that in the area of H&S we have the same approach to all who work in the mill we have been able to significantly reduce the number of injuries of our contractors’ employees as well,” said Jiří Michálek, health and safety director in ArcelorMittal Ostrava.
 
Number of lost time injuries


ArcelorMittal Ostrava a.s. is the largest steelmaker in the Czech Republic and part of the world’s largest steel and mining group ArcelorMittal. It has an annual production capacity of 3 million tonnes of steel. Besides the Czech market, the company sells its products to more than 40 countries around the world. ArcelorMittal Ostrava and its subsidiaries employ more than 7500 people. Average income of its employees amounted to CZK 34,352 in 2013. ArcelorMittal Ostrava produces iron and steel in compliance with all environmental legislation. It conforms to the EU best available techniques (BAT) emission limits that will come into force in 2016. The sole shareholder is ArcelorMittal Holdings A.G.