Notifications under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Quarries) Regulations, 2008
Under the 2008 Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Quarries) Regulations, there are certain items of information that must be notified to the Health & Safety Authority. This information must be conveyed on an approved form where there are certain changes affecting the management and operation of a quarry. The information sought relates to the appointment or changing of the Quarry Operator, the commencement of quarrying operations or the Permanent Cessation of Quarrying Operations. Notification should be posted, or sent by fax to the Head Office of the Health and Safety Authority
On opening a quarry notification must be in writing and must include the name, address, telephone and fax number of the operator, the name and address of the quarry including Ordnance Survey grid references, the telephone and fax number of the quarry, a brief description of the quarry and the mineral to be extracted and the date when extraction of minerals is to start/finish.
In addition to notifying the Health and Safety Authority when the name of the quarry changes, operators should also notify the utility companies (such as the E.S.B )of any changes. Delays have occurred during emergencies when the power to a quarry needed to be isolated, but the name for the quarry used by the quarry personnel and the electricity supplier was different from that notified When a quarry closes, any remaining excavations or tips must be left in a safe condition. In the case of abandoned tips, the notification needs to include the information gathered through geotechnical assessments.