A Brief Guide to Quarry Health and Safety
Most construction or building jobs carry some risks, but quarrying remains one of the most dangerous industries to work in, and over 3,500 workers have suffered an injury on the job since the year 2000. Therefore, it’s vital that anyone working in or near or quarry is aware of the correct health and safety procedures, and if you’re an employer, you also have a legal duty to keep your employees as safe as possible.
You can find a full list of guidelines and best practice in the Guidelines to the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Quarries) Regulations 2008, but if you want a basic overview to get started, see our guide below.
Carry out regular risk assessments
Risk management is good practice in any workplace, but it’s essential if you work in a quarry, when the hazards can be much more dangerous. Employees should identify any dangers present on their site and then assess the risks associated with that hazard. It’s not necessary to carry out a formal risk assessment every time, but workers should be constantly monitoring and updating their risk control procedures.
Always wear the correct protective equipment
Proper personal protective equipment (PPE) is vital to keep employees safe when working in a quarry. Common equipment includes a hard hat, eye protection (e.g goggles), high-vis vests or jackets, steel capped boots, gloves and hearing protection. You should also supply respiratory protection where necessary.
Regular safety training for all employees
Site-specific safety training is a legal requirement and it’s important that all employees are up to date and familiar with the necessary training procedures. All employees should be certified and approved before work on the site, especially if they’re operating heavy machinery. Arrange regular training sessions and work with the site safety coordinator to make sure everyone is up to date.
Keep safe distance between machines
Quarrying uses a lot of heavy machinery and safe distance must be maintained between machines at all times. Quarries can suffer from poor visibility due to the amount of dust or poor weather conditions, so take care to maintain additional distance between machines in these cases. All employees should also be aware of the safe travel distances when operating machinery on slopes to help prevent accidents.
We take health and safety very seriously here at W M Thompson & Son, so you can be sure that we do everything in our power to keep employees safe. We’re committed to delivering the best quality products and services every time, which is why we carry out regular checks and maintenance on all our machines, regularly revise our quarrying methods and do as much as we can to contribute to the local community. To find out more about our health and safety policies, click here, or visit our wider website to browse our range of quarry products, recycled aggregates and concrete.
