Holcim Lanka signs MoU as technical consultancy partner for second year

(From left) Philippe Richart, CEO, Holcim (Lanka) Limited, Dr. N. C. Amarasinghe, Director General, National Institute of Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH), M. D. C. Amarathunga, Commissioner General of Labour, Department of Labour, John Senawirathne, Minister of Labour, Ministry of Labour and Trade Union Relations, Ravindra Samaraweera, State Minister of Labour, Ministry of Labour and Trade Union Relations, S. M. G. Jayarathne, Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Trade Union Relations and Sunil Abeywardhana, State Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Trade Union Relations.

Holcim Lanka, a member of the LafargeHolcim Group, a global leader in the construction material industry, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

 The MoU affirms that for the 2016 National Safety awards process as the “Technical Consultancy Partner”. 
The MoU was signed by Philippe Richart, CEO, Holcim Lanka and Hon. John Senawirathne, Minister of Labour, Ministry of Labour and Trade Union Relations on 24th March 2016 in the presence of Ministry of Labour and Trade union relations, Department of Labour, NIOSH and Holcim Lanka senior management.

NIOSH and Holcim Lanka are primed to be the ideal advocates of Occupational Health & Safety (OH&S) for Sri Lanka. It is with this passion for OH&S that NIOSH formulated the initiative through which they will encourage and recognize engineers in the industry, whilst Holcim Lanka will lend its expertise to implementing the award selection process.

Gayan Fernando, Head of Health & Safety, Holcim Lankacommenting on the MoU signing, “It is clear that with the growth of Sri Lanka, the concern for safety, wellbeing and the conservation of the environment takes a backseat to economic and infrastructural advancement. Thus it is a great honour for Holcim Lanka to be the Technical Consultancy Partner for these National Awards, for the second year in a row. This year Holcim Lanka will not only extend its support, but also provideinternational expertise and a link to its knowledge hub on Health and Safety.”

The resultant of numerous techniques and emulations is the National OSH Excellence Awards application document along with a detailed guidebook for filling out the application; developed by NIOSH and Holcim Lanka. 

Additionally, with the use of recognized world practices, the final segmentation of seven [07] industrial groups for the Awards were concluded;‘Manufacturing’, ‘Tourism and Tourism-Related’, ‘Construction’, ‘Textile’, ‘Food and Beverage’, ‘Transportation’ and ‘Other’.

Each application undergoes a stringent three tier assessment process; Desk Review (primary stage assessment), Field Verification Visits (conducted by NIOSH, a team of District Factory Inspecting Engineer, aH&S member from Holcim Lanka and selected OH&S practitioners in Sri Lanka) and finally, the Expert Review (the interview round, conductedby a panel of judges consisting of OH&S experts). 

Winners will then be categorized in two [02] segments as ‘local’ and ‘multinational’ corporates, with all supporting documentation handed over to the Steering committee for the National Safety Awards. The committee is under the leadership of the Secretary of Labour and consists of members of theMinistry of Labour and Trade union relations, Department of Labour, NIOSH and Holcim Lanka.