Power Plant Workers from ArcelorMittal Ostrava Working Without Accidents for Five Years
04/03/2013 - Employees of ArcelorMittal Energy Ostrava, a subsidiary of ArcelorMittal Ostrava in the Czech Republic, have worked more than three and a half million hours without injuries.
Employees of ArcelorMittal Energy Ostrava, a subsidiary of ArcelorMittal Ostrava in the Czech Republic, have worked more than three and a half million hours without injuries. The last lost-time injury happened five years ago. Working in the power engineering sector, according to the Czech Statistical Office, is among the fifty most dangerous professions in the Czech Republic. The success of the power plant workers from Ostrava stems especially from strict safety rules and learning from previous mistakes.
"Vast majority of accidents are caused by human failure and therefore they can be prevented. I am glad that we have learned from the mistakes that had been made in the past, and that we all take our but also our colleagues´ safety seriously," says Petr Baranek, director of ArcelorMittal Energy Ostrava.
The industrial accident that happened five years ago when two electricians had been burnt by electric current, was followed by a series of technical and organizational measures. Since then, the communication during troubleshooting at ArcelorMittal Energy Ostrava, for example, has been recorded using radio transmitters. All the short-circuiting sets were colour-coded and changes were also made to the unlock labeling. "As part of the organizational measures we have increased the frequency of the verification of knowledge of the work organization rules. We have provided the employees with new personal protective equipment and we have also introduced rules that prevent movement of unauthorized personnel in particular operations," Petr Baranek said, describing the key to zero accidents rate.
In May 2012, the results in the area of safety and health protection at work at ArcelorMittal Energy Ostrava were awarded prestigious prize "Safe Enterprise". The award, which is granted by the State Labour Inspectorate, is valid for three years and then it must be renewed. "We continuously keep in mind that we must never endanger ourselves and our co-workers, and that good results can be achieved without violating safety rules," explains Roman Růžička, head of the technical office of ArcelorMittal Energy Ostrava.
ArcelorMittal Energy Ostrava s.r.o. represents a complex and extensive industrial power engineering facility with a special focus on the needs of the metallurgical industry. In the field of water management, heat and power generation, gas engineering, and production of industrial gases, the plant is fully comparable with single-purpose power stations in the Czech Republic. Most of the media is supplied to the ArcelorMittal Ostrava's mills, part is destined for external entities. ArcelorMittal Energy Ostrava employs more than 300 people.
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 production capacity of 3 million tonnes of steel annually; about 50% of the output is exported to more than 60 countries worldwide. ArcelorMittal Ostrava and its subsidiaries employ more than 7500 people. Average income of its employees amounted to 34,213 CZK in 2012. ArcelorMittal Ostrava produces iron and steel in compliance with all environmental legislation. It already conforms to the EU best available techniques (BAT) emission limits that are to be binding only from 2016 onwards. The sole shareholder is ArcelorMittal Holdings A.G.
