Quarrying

Quarrying and related ancillary factories (block plants, ready-mix, tarmac etc.) currently employ about 10,000 people in Ireland, producing approximately 35 million tonnes of product annually. This is the highest production per capita in Europe and contributes significantly to the Irish economy.

Quarrying operations in Ireland range from very small sand and gravel pits to relatively large hard rock quarries. While there are approximately 1,500 quarries registered with local authorities, about 550 are active at any one time, a number being seasonal and some opening and then closing for specific local projects.

Health and Safety Authority Inspectors are very active in this sector and plan 200 inspections of mines/quarries in 2012. In terms of deaths to numbers employed, in the past quarrying has had a worryingly high fatal incident rate.

This chart shows the types of incidents that lead to 18 deaths in the six years from 2002 to 2007 (inclusive)

Fig 2 shows the collapse of a quarry face with fatal results

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For Further Information

Safequarry.com is produced by the Mineral Products Association, its members and partners and supported by the Mineral Industry Sustainable Technology (MIST) Program

The Safequarry YouTube channel provides 11 simple videos on slips, trips and falls, described as "ideal for use in toolbox talks, an induction process or as part of a safety training or awareness event"

• Pedestrian routes (1 minute, 9 seconds)
• Potholes (46 seconds)
• Muddy boots  (46 seconds)
• Maintain paths and remove trip hazards (1 minute, 7 seconds)
• Stairs (39 seconds)
• Snow or icy conditions (49 seconds)
• Dealing with spillages (1 minute, 1 second)
• Exiting vehicles (1 minute, 9 seconds)
• Keeping gantries clear (1 minute, 5 seconds)
• Good housekeeping in workshops (1 minute, 37 seconds)

 

© 2011 Health & Safety Authority