Quarries Legislation and Guidance

The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Quarries) Regulations 2025 (SI 283 of 2025) came into effect on 1st January 2026

The regulations place a great emphasis on the management of health and safety, with responsibility placed on all those employed at a quarry and every person involved in management and supervisory operations.

The regulations require the management of all quarry operations including tips, lagoons and stockpiles, quarry faces (working and disused), boundaries, haulage roads, all plant and equipment and the carrying out of blasting operations. Each quarry location must notify the Authority immediately of the person or company who will be the operator for that quarry. Operators should also ensure that the required authorisations of persons takes place.

Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Quarries) Regulations 2025 is the only sector specific legislation for occupational safety and health for quarries and is a consolidation and modernisation of previous legislation. That said, these regulations must be considered along with the primary Act, the Safety, Health and Welfare At Work Act, 2005 and its General Application Regulations 2007. Many other regulations, while not sector specific, may also apply to quarrying and associated manufacturing activities.

AFQ 1 & 2 notifications should be emailed to contactus@hsa.ie

Forms can be located here: Health and Safety Authority Forms. 

Guidelines

Updated guidance is currently being updated for the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Quarries) Regulations 2025.