The Irish Concrete Federation and the Health & Safety Authority (HSA) are jointly supporting the Autumn Quarry Safety Campaign which is taking place from October 3rd to October 14th. The focus of the campaign is on vehicle and pedestrian safety in quarries and associated manufacturing plants.
HSA inspectors will be conducting quarry safety inspections over a two-week campaign focusing on safe work practices and ensuring proactive measures are in place to reduce the risk of incidents, including serious or fatal injury. An important element of the inspections will concentrate on designated pedestrian routes for workers and non-workers/visitors to quarry sites. Inspectors will be ensuring that quarry operators are:
- providing a site-specific traffic management plan or traffic safety rules which are documented and focus on segregation of vehicles and pedestrians,
- providing adequate physical barriers in place to segregate pedestrians from vehicles in high-risk areas,
- providing designated signposted parking areas for employees, customers, large and light vehicles,
- providing designated safe loading areas,
- providing an inspection, maintenance and testing scheme for all vehicles and work equipment in the quarry,
- ensuring appropriate safety devices are fitted and maintained on vehicles, and
- ensuring safe driving and working practices.
Launching the campaign, Hilary Byrne, Senior Inspector with the HSA stated,
“Manufacturing plants within quarries are busy workplaces with both pedestrians and large machinery working side-by-side. These workplaces are potentially hazardous, however, all hazards and risks are measurable and manageable and we are asking employers to fulfil their duty of care to their employees, contractors and any visitors to quarries. As with any hazardous workplace environment, we are highlighting to employers the requirement to actively carry out risk assessments and put in place appropriate control measures including safe ways of working. The outcome of these risk assessments must be communicated to all those involved in the work while ensuring they receive instruction and safety training relevant to the tasks that are undertaken.
The HSA continues to work closely with the Irish quarry industry and employer groups to reduce the injury rates at quarries. During this campaign, HSA Inspectors will also be providing information, advice and making employers aware of HSA resources available to help them reduce the risk of incidents involving vehicles and ensuring there are safe and designated pedestrian routes”.
Chief Executive of the Irish Concrete Federation said,
“It is critical that Irish Concrete Federation members remain focused on the fundamental safety risks associated with quarrying on a daily basis. Therefore, we greatly welcome the active support of the HSA for this campaign with its focus on vehicle and pedestrian safety in quarries”.
For further information and resources on quarry safety see the following HSA website links:
- Safe Quarry Legislation visit the HSA website here:
https://www.hsa.ie/eng/Publications_and_Forms/Publications/Mines_and_Quarries/Safe_Quarry_-_Guidelines_to_the_Safety,_Health_and_Welfare_at_Work_Quarry_Regulations_2008.html - Safe Quarry – A Guide for Quarry Workers see here:
https://www.hsa.ie/eng/your_industry/quarrying/events_organisations_publications/quarry_workers_guide/safe_quarry_-_a_guide_for_quarry_workers.pdf
ICF members participating in Spring Quarry Safety Campaign 2022
The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) and the Irish Concrete Federation (ICF) are jointly supporting “Spring Quarry Safety Campaign 2022″ which is taking place from Monday 14th – Friday 25th March 2022.
The theme of the campaign is “Machinery Safety”.
During the campaign, the HSA will be conducting quarry inspections, focussing on machinery safety and the HSA and ICF will present a series of online briefings for management, supervisors and safety officers on topical issues related to machinery safety.
Pat Griffin, Senior Inspector, HSA stated on the launch of the campaign that “Quarries and manufacturing plants within quarries are potentially hazardous workplaces due to the large and powerful machinery used on a daily basis. However, these risks are measurable and manageable, and we are asking employers to fulfil their duty of care to their employees, contractors and any visitors to quarries. As with any hazardous workplace environment, we urge employers to actively carry out risk assessments and put in place appropriate control measures including safe ways of working. The outcome of these risk assessments must be communicated to all those involved in the work while ensuring they all receive instruction and safety training relevant to the tasks that are undertaken.”
Irish Concrete Federation Chief Executive Gerry Farrell said “Given the increased activity levels in the sector, it is critical that our members remain focused on the fundamental safety risks associated with quarrying. Therefore we greatly welcome the active support of the HSA for this campaign with its focus on machinery safety in quarries.”
In support of the “Spring Quarry Safety Campaign”, ICF members will be making commitments to carry out proactive safety measures in machinery safety, some of which are highlighted below.
Spring Quarry Safety Campaign 2022 Updates
Spring Quarry Safety Campaign 2022 Pledges
“During the Spring Quarry Safety Campaign 2022 we plan to complete the review and communication of our SOP’s for the delivery of concrete to sites with particular focus on the safety of our drivers when discharging into concrete pumps, concrete skips, digger buckets and the use of conveyors. We will also review our safety documents for the drivers in relation to working at heights”
“Irish Industrial Explosives look forward to promoting safety in quarries throughout its workforce during the HSA and ICF 2022 campaign.”
“During the Spring 2022 Safety campaign Concast are pledging to focus on machinery / vehicle movement and safe access and egress around the yard and factory.”
.
“Shay Murtagh Precast will continue to carry out internal health and safety inspections over the course of Spring Quarry Week Safety 2022 campaign. Engagement of our team in toolbox talks in particular around quarry vehicle operations, the limitation of their vehicles and the hazards that are associated with their operation is our particular focus this week. While our trained and skilled team ensure our Health and Safety is maintained to the highest standards, refresher training helps us to review not only the operation of the vehicle but our processes and procedures and can identify gaps and methodology for the future.“
“Roadstone Limited will start the rollout of it inhouse confined space training program at its training centre in Roadstone Belgard in advance of the Quarry Safety Campaign for March 2022. This training is in keeping with our requirement for training to be specific to our operations. Safety is our number one priority in Roadstone. It is a value we live by and this translates into a very simple instruction to all of us: nothing takes precedence over safety. Not production schedules. Not customer demands. Not efficiency. Not budgets. If faced with a judgement call, apply this instruction and you will not go wrong.”
“For the Spring Quarry Safety Campaign 2022 O’Connell Quarries are committing to providing and maintaining a safe and healthy working environment, safe systems of work and protecting employees from work hazards.”
“For Spring Quarry Safety Campaign 2022 Wrights aims to focus on isolation of machinery and guarding across all production plants.”
“For the Spring Quarry Safety Campaign 2022 we at Booth Concrete have completed a review of our risk assessments and maintenance of all our plant and machinery along with our traffic management and adjusted as necessary. We have also done refresher toolbox talks on our emergency plan and walk around checks. We have also put a defibrillator in place on our premises. In the coming weeks we will have tool box talks focusing on the upcoming ICF vidoes”.
“During the Spring Quarry Safety Campaign 2022 Irish Cement will be participating in toolbox talks covering slips, trips and falls from vehicles, conveyors, isolation, loading shovels and dump trucks, ICF safety videos, safety inspections and guarding and pull cord checks.”
“During the Spring Quarry Safety Campaign for 2022 we will actively look for hazards, promptly report them and take appropriate action to warn others. Never take short cuts and to never walk past an unsafe act“
“Harrington Concrete and Quarries plan to focus on machinery operation, guarding and maintenance throughout our workforce for the Spring Quarry Safety Campaign 2022.“
“Throughout the Spring Safety Campaign 2022 McGraths Limestone (Cong) Ltd. will carry out a range of toolbox talks with employees focusing on the areas of Machinery Guarding and Maintenance.”
“For the Spring Quarry Safety Campaign 2022, Kilsaran will be focusing on blind spots on vehicles, Guarding on moving plant & equipment, Traffic Management Plans at Site Locations, Plant v Pedestrian movements on site and Contractor Management.”
“For the Spring Quarry Safety Campaign 2022 we at McGrath Quarries in Clare are committing to do tool box talks every day”.
“For the Spring Quarry Campaign 2022 we will be visiting the quarries over the next couple of days and weeks, carrying out assessments related to pedestrian and vehicle plans that we put in place in Spring 2021. We will be involved each manager in this process and completed the vehicle and pedestrian check sheet. We introduced traffic and pedestrian plans throughout our facilities both in the quarries and our production plants. Those improvements were brought to all those concerned through tool box talks, SOP and site signage”.
“During the Spring Quarry Safety Campaign 2022 Gleeson Concrete will conduct toolbox talks every day emphasising the importance of PPE, guarding, isolation and other key areas of focus. We will use ICF safety videos to carry out talks. Updated safety statement, risk assessments and inductions will be communicated and signed off by every member of staff.“
“Within the Lagan Asphalt Group, we recognise that our employees and contractor partners are our biggest asset. We fully support the 2022 Spring Quarry Safety Campaign and accordingly we will launch it by way of a Safety Standdown on Monday morning. A series of Toolbox Talks focusing on Machine Safety, Guarding, LOTOTO and Pedestrian Safety will be presented at each of our locations.“