GENERAL41634 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

The three most striking images include awaist-high pile of cement dust that entirely blocks a door; the dashboard of a dump truck, the gauges of which are entirely missing; and a nearby water-filled ditch where cattails grow in a green oily slime surrounded by discarded ail filters or oil buckets. "The equipment is so old," the insider alleges. "They just don't put the money back into the plant." The insider claims to be motivated most by the need for better working conditions and improved worker safety. The unkempt condition of the plant not only results in workers breathing more dust, but also getting more dust on their skin, the insider says. Because cement has such a significant base pH, it can cause chemical burns just by touching skin. This is particularly true if the skin is moist from perspiration. The insider says there have been incidents of employees receiving minor burns to their skin or getting cement dust in their eyes. And, in fact, MSHA records made available through the agency's website indicate four incidents of dust-related injuries since 20011-one involving bums to the skin, the others dust in the eyes. "It's an accident waiting to happen," the insider says. The insider says that by August, Cemex officials were aware that someone had been communicating with the state. Word was then allegedly passed around the plant that there might be incentives for the insider to come to plant management and talk with them first before going to the state. The insider began to feel less safe at that point and worried about being watched. The inspections have resulted in some improvements, according to the insider. Management is running sweepers seven days a week during the day, for example. But much remains to be resolved, the insider says. "I want to see the employees taken care of," the insider says. "[Plant Manager John Lohr] should be the champion for the people who are making him the money. He should be treating his employees the way he wants to be treated." On site at Cemex We park and walk through a stiff wind toward the front office building. A small cloud of cement dust lifts off the top of the cement storage silo and flutters against the blue sky like a pennant. We sign in with the receptionist and are quickly met by Plant Manager John Lohr, who shakes our hands and leads us back to a conference room. Four hardhats sit on the table amid samples of quarried stone, clinker and finished cement powder. One of 13 Cemex plants in the United States, the Lyons facility provides Colorado with about 25 percent of the cement it uses to build and grow. Lohr tells us that Cemex's cement can be found in Coors Field and the Pepsi Center, as well as in countless highway overpasses, homes and office buildings along the Front Range. "We believe we've been a pretty significant part of the local economy," says Lohr, who's been with the plant for 12 years.