OREANDA-NEWS. August 7, 2012. For 6 months 2012 ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih, leading steel plant in Ukraine, invested over 102 million UAH in health and safety and measures aimed at industrial safety (over 75 million UAH y-o-y). According to Collective Agreement of the plant the funds for creation of safe working conditions, prevention of industrial injuries and occupational diseases amount to 0.6% from sales income in previous year. For 6 months 2012 main H&S investments of ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih amounted to:

• 22.5 million UAH for special clothes and foot wear and other Personal Protection Equipment for employees;

• 9.6 million UAH for provision with of bottled drinking water to the shops of the plant on a free basis;

• 8.0 million UAH for provision with free special food and milk for employees engaged in particularly harmful working conditions.

ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih continues creation of comfortable and safe working conditions for employees. In 2012 the plant is going to invest in H&S 173, 300, 000 UAH which is by 19% more than it was scheduled in 2011. This year ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih plans to accomplish over 300 comprehensive measures aimed at improvement of working conditions, prevention of industrial injuries and occupational diseases. Main improvements of work and safety in 2012 include purchasing of labor saving tools for over 2.5 million UAH, heating and cooling sets at work for over 5.5 million UAH, tools for safe work at heights for over 3 million UAH and a number of other projects.

Reduction of industrial injury rate is priority for ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih. Significant achievement in 2012 was 114 days or 17, 587, 661 person-hours of work without lost time accidents. In Q1, 2012 LTIFR for one million of person-hours was 0.9, there were 13 lost time accidents compared with 9 y-o-y. There was 1 fatality at the plant.

Q2, 2012 the plant had zero lost time accidents compared with 10 y-o-y, LTIFR was 0. In general for 6 months 2012 LTIFR reduced by 28% (0.46 compared with 0.64 y-o-y).

For 6 months 2012 the plant registered 2 lost time injuries of employees of contracting organizations compared to 3 y-o-y. LTFR for reporting period reduced by 41% to 0.32 (0.54 y-o-y.).

In April 2012 within  6th annual Health and Safety Day ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih opened  safe work training center the first at steel companies in Ukraine. This new training center is oriented at ArcelorMittal Fatality Prevention Standards (FPS) training for staff of our plant and employees of contracting organizations. The training center hosts around 150 people at once. The plant invested over 7 million UAH in this project.

A special testing area of the training center is equipped with modern simulators enable to learn how to work safely in working conditions as close to reality as possible:

• simulator for training of safe working at heights (training of correct lifting to operational area, fixing with special Personal Protection Equipment and correct downward motion;

• hole like simulator fully simulates confined space (training skills for work in confined spaces);

• stand for electricians (correct electric circuit disconnection and electrical repairs);

• overhead crane for skills improvement for crane operators for using remote control and cabin.