A quarry safety initiative, jointly undertaken by the HSA and HSENI and running for a period of two weeks, commenced on Monday, 11th May.
The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) and the Health and Safety Executive Northern Ireland’s (HSENI) All-Island Concrete Block Making Safety Inspection Campaign, will focus on block-making operations and associated activities, with inspectors from both jurisdictions carrying out coordinated inspections across the island of Ireland.
The objective of the campaign is to promote safer working practices in the manufacturing of concrete blocks using mobile block making plant, which can present significant risks due to the routine use of large and powerful machinery.
Over the five-year period 2021–2025, quarrying and associated manufacturing activities accounted for five work-related fatalities in the Republic of Ireland and three fatalities in Northern Ireland. A significant proportion of serious and fatal incidents within the sector arise from pedestrian-vehicle interactions and from unguarded machinery, including conveyor systems. Maintenance activities involving fixed and mobile machinery also present a high level of risk and must be effectively managed through adequate isolation and control procedures.
Further resources on quarry safety are available on HSA.ie Quarrying – Health and Safety Authority and www.hseni.gov.uk
