Mumbai, Maharashtra, India:  

• Group Personal Accident Insurance policy to benefit nearly 12,000 truck drivers
• Policy cover of Rs 5 lakh to each driver reiterates Company’s values towards third-party stakeholders

Ambuja Cements Ltd., a part of the global conglomerate LafargeHolcim and one of the leading cement manufacturing companies in India, has introduced a comprehensive Group Personal Accident Insurance (GPA) policy for truck drivers, thus becoming the first cement company in the industry to initiate such a pioneering endeavour and reinforcing its commitment to ensure safety and well-being of the stakeholders involved its operations.

The GPA policy with Rs five lakh cover has been designed considering the job nature of truck drivers who are exposed to high risk due to countless hours of highway road journey. The policy, issued by a reputed leading insurance company, has been effective for the past few months and covers nearly 12000 drivers – who are third-party employees – in case of accidental death or permanent disability (total/ partial).

On this unique initiative, Ajay Kapur, Ambuja Cement MD&CEO, said, “Truck drivers play a key role in our logistical operations pan-India and ensuring their well-being is of a paramount priority for us. Road safety has been a big challenge as we have little control beyond our plants’ premises. Introduction of Group Personal Accident Insurance policy for the truck drivers – who operate for round-the-clock dispatches – is yet another step by Ambuja Cement to exhibit how much we value them and their work. This also marks yet another initiative in further improving Health & Safety (H&S) measures in our operations.”

“Ambuja Cement has been enjoying a strong ‘Thought Leadership’ position in the H&S space. Guided by our ‘Zero Harm’ goal, we are making every possible effort to ensure the truck drivers’ safety. I urge the cement and transport industries to work collaboratively to address the complex issue of road safety,” concluded Mr Kapur.

The GPA policy for truck drivers covers risk at every stage of operations on a 24x7 basis. The insurance policy considers the floating nature of the men behind the wheels.
 
As part of its holistic Health & Safety program, Ambuja Cement has over the years implemented several focused initiatives for truck drivers. It has even involved their family members to reinforce the idea of safety. The Driver Management Centres (DMC) at all units, Defensive Driver Induction (DDI), Refresher training, Counselling, Daily toolbox talk, Random vehicle check and Journey Risk Management (JRM), Installation of In-Vehicle Monitoring System (iVMS) in the vehicles to monitor drivers’ activities are among the various initiatives that are effecting continuous improvement in the drivers’ skills and behaviours.