Timely Response Earns The Trust Of Buzzi Unicem USA

Cement manufacturer turns to SafeRack fall protection to satisfy OSHA requirements

When the continued operation of your cement terminal relies on complying with regulations set forth by federal agencies such as OSHA, there’s no room for delay when you suffer an equipment breakdown in the area of employee/customer fall protection. That was the situation that Buzzi Unicem USA’s Distribution Terminal in Paducah, KY, found itself in recently.

“We were using a brand of fall-protection equipment that had a load spring in them that couldn’t be replaced, and then they both broke within two weeks of each other,” explained Anthony Cole, Terminal Manager at the Paducah facility. “OSHA regulations say that we have to supply fall protection and when you’re in a position where you’ve got something that OSHA requires you to have, you have to act as quickly as you can.”

The Paducah terminal is one of 29 that Buzzi Unicem USA operates in the country, making the Bethlehem, PA-based company one of the leading cement manufacturers in the USA. The Paducah plant is a packaging and bulk-distribution terminal where Type N and Type S masonry cement and Type 1 Portland cement are packed into bags. The operation requires a steady supply of cement tankers to roll into and out of the loading/unloading area of the facility. It’s there that the fall protection is needed as the truck drivers need to climb onto the tops of their trucks to open and close the hatches.

In soliciting suggestions for the replacement of the damaged fall-protection equipment, Cole kept hearing the name of SafeRack, LLC, which is the world’s leading provider of stronger, safer and easier-to-handle truck loading-rack and fall-protection equipment. Narrowing his search down to SafeRack and another company, Cole made a couple of exploratory phone calls. It was at this point that SafeRack began separating itself from the competition, courtesy of Sales Representative Mark Gardner.

“One of the guys at the corporate office told me that a few of our other terminals were using SafeRack equipment,” said Cole. “I called SafeRack and another company, and the other one took three or four weeks just to get back to me. Within two days, Mark was down here taking measurements and doing everything he could to get me fixed up. Mark’s promptness really played a role, and we had the racks ordered before the other company even returned my first call!”

The Paducah driver-safety rack consists of two fixed-position gangways mounted on concrete bases. To replace the old equipment, a SafeRack G4 Series Self-Adjusting Stair (SAS) Gangway was installed in each position.

These gangways are constructed using metal-stamping technology and a tool-and-die process to cut out pieces of aluminum, which are then bent into the required shape, eliminating the need for as many welds and creating a stronger, more durable gangway. Other features of the SAS equipment include spring-loaded gangway and platform operation, slip-resistant tread on the stairs, safety orange handrails and mid-rails, heavy-duty bumpers and four-rail design for maximum fall protection.

Since the SafeRack equipment has been installed, Cole has experienced no problems and the truck drivers have also applauded the SAS’s ease of operation.

“The SafeRack gangways go down easy and come back up easy,” he said. “With the other ones you needed to put some pretty good muscle in it to get it back in place. If the drivers are satisfied, we’re satisfied Then we know we have the right equipment in place.”

Cole has also taken the precaution—again, with OSHA in mind—and ordered a spare system just in case of an accident.

“We’ve had very good luck with these in that we haven’t had any drivers roll into one when they’re arriving or leaving, but we wanted to get a spare one on the property so that if someone does pull out and damage the rack we’ll have a backup ready to put in place,” he said.

So, what began as the need for a quick fix to a problem has turned into a great relationship between SafeRack and Buzzi Unicem USA’s Paducah Distribution Terminal. It’s a relationship built on the reliability of the equipment, as well as the responsiveness and attentiveness of the SafeRack staff. SafeRack is known throughout the industry for its fast response times and well-stocked inventories for quick gangway replacement.

SafeRack’s G4 Series Gangway is the most user-friendly gangway available today for cement terminals.

“It was a time-sensitive issue, so we had to go ahead and get something done and SafeRack had the responsiveness and, just as important, the equipment to do the job,” Cole concluded.

For more information on any of SafeRack’s products or solutions, please contact Tom Semiklose, Vice President Sales, at (866) 761-7225 or tsemiklose@saferack.com, or visit www.SafeRack.com.