HSA launch a two-week quarry safety inspection campaign focusing on management of contractors

13th May 2024

The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) will carry out a two-week quarry safety inspection campaign commencing on Monday 13th May. The focus of the campaign is on the management of contractors.

This inspection campaign will concentrate on key safety areas of concern including management and supervision of contractors while on site, employer cooperation and coordination when sharing a place of work, ensuring safe equipment is in use and relevant personnel have appropriate qualifications when using machinery.

Pictured: Gerry Farrell (Irish Concrete Federation’s Chief Executive), Hilary Byrne (HSA Senior Inspector), Conor O'Brien (HSA Chief Executive)

Hilary Byrne, Senior Inspector, HSA stated on the launch of the campaign that

“quarries are potentially hazardous workplaces and often utilise contractors to carry out day to day work duties. Employers have a duty when sharing a place of work to ensure they cooperate and coordinate their actions relating to health and safety on site and to inform each other of any risks to employees arising from their work activity.”

During this campaign, HSA inspectors will be seeking evidence of the following:

• That contractors have undertaken risk assessments and implemented control measures relevant to their work on site.
• That contractors receive appropriate information, instruction and are qualified to complete the relevant tasks to be undertaken.
• That adequate control measures are in place for hazards in a quarry which may be specific to specialist? contractors.

In the ten-year period 2014-2023, Quarrying, Mining and the associated manufacturing activities in the industry accounted for seven work-related fatalities in Ireland. Two out of three of the latest work-related fatalities in quarries have involved contractors.

Quarry delivery contractors with three or less employed on site can complete the HSA Code of Practice for Operators of Quarry Delivery Vehicles.

Welcoming the HSA’s quarry safety campaign, Irish Concrete Federation’s Chief Executive, Gerry Farrell, said,

“This is the first quarry safety campaign that has focused exclusively on the safety of contractors in quarries and therefore ICF is actively encouraging our members to undertake initiatives in their own companies to support the campaign. Contractors provide many vital and valuable services to the quarrying industry throughout the country and therefore this campaign provides an opportunity for our members to review their procedures to ensure that there is effective communication between quarry operators and contractors and to ensure that contractors are fully aware of all risks and safety procedures and rules in quarry workplaces”.

Further resources on quarry safety are available at the links below:

Safe Quarry Legislation

Safe Quarry - A Guide for Quarry Workers

CoP for operators of quarry delivery vehicles employing 3 or less

Client and Contractor Code of Conduct at Quarrying Locations

ENDS