Dust Manual Handling Slips, Trips and Falls Drowning Electricity Work at Height Unauthorised Entry

• Find detailed advice in the Guidelines to the Quarries Regulations (97 pages)
• See the examples of good and bad practice in the videos

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Dust

www.safequarry.com have a video on their you tube channel that comprises of a series of quarry-based activities, this video features an animated quarryman who does everything wrong. The exploits of this hapless character are interspersed with high quality real-life

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Manual Handling

See our Manual Handling webpage

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Slips, trips and falls (on the same level)

See the examples of good and bad practice in the videos on the Quarrying page and our Slips, Trips and Falls webpage.

Slips, trips and falls account for approximately one fifth of all reported non-fatal injuries.

Wellington boots may be slip resistant dependent upon their condition, the walking surface and the contamination. The slip resistance of footwear should be determined by the employer/ farmer.

Footwear must be appropriate to the walking surface and likely contamination of the working area Footwear with a softer sole and close-packed tread pattern works well with fluid contaminants A more open pattern works better outdoors or with solid contaminants Footwear should be trialled in the workplace where it's to be used Footwear and the walking surface must be kept clean Check the soles of footwear regularly to see that they are in good condition, clean and free from accumulations

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Drowning

The majority of drowning at quarries has involved intentional or inadvertent trespass by the public

• Prevent the use of water by youths or the public as far as practicable by restricting access and appropriate warning signs

Provide secure fencing where a risk of a fall into water (unless other appropriate precautions) Provide suitable properly maintained rescue equipment such as lifebuoys, rescue boats etc, properly maintained and ready for use Prohibit lone working near water Provide and ensure proper use and maintenance of personal flotation devices by persons at risk Ensure personal flotation devices are inspected to manufacturer's instructions and thoroughly examined by a competent person every 12 months Maintain signed, dated records of thorough examination

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Electricity

Overhead power lines are likely to pose a significant risk unless vehicles are prevented from approaching them. Vehicles do not need to strike the overhead lines for injury to occur; electricity can arc through a surprising distance

Assessment of the overhead power line risk must take account of the possibility of tipper trucks travelling when raised If work needs to be carried out below power lines and vehicles could reach into the danger zone, the lines should normally be isolated and earthed before work or physical safeguards such as chains on the boom may be required Guidance should be sought from the Electricity Supply Board (ESB)

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Work at height

Falling from any height can result in serious injury or death. Many tasks particularly maintenance tasks in quarries require working at height and it is essential that a safe system of work is in place each and every time. Quarrying operations often require access to remote and inaccessible locations such as maintenance on inclined conveyors, or the clearing of blockages from chutes or hoppers or the replacement of lights on masts and it is often these short-duration, random, unplanned and unexpected tasks that are the most hazardous.

Where equipment not designed for lifting persons is being used to gain access to heights as a working platform, appropriate action including adequate supervision must be taken to ensure safety. The following must also be carried out.

The man basket must have been thoroughly examined and certified and contain or display

• a Safe Working Load clearly marked upon it
• a hand rail, mid rail and a toe board
• a solid floor
• secure attachment to the lifting machine
• an adequate anchor point for persons to attach fall-arrest equipment

If a Front End Loader is to be used as the lift vehicle it must have

• check / non-return valves on the hydraulics of the lift ram
• a lockable bucket tip switch

The safe operating procedure must consider the following:

1. an assessment of ground conditions before persons are lifted in the basket
2. that stabilising jacks, where fitted, are in place and that the vehicle is stationary when persons are to be lifted
3. that the loader driver remains in the cab at the controls at all times during the lifting operation
4. that an adequate line of sight or communication is available between the driver and the persons in the basket
5. that there is a plan for the evacuation of persons from the basket in the event of mechanical failure or other difficulty such as illness or injury

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Unauthorised Entry

The majority of drowning at quarries has involved intentional or inadvertent trespass by the public

Quarry boundaries must be signposted, clearly visible and identifiable Safe means of access and egress should be provided, indicated and maintained Adequate precautions are needed to protect persons in the vicinity The provision of barriers needs to be considered as part of the risk assessment and included in the safety statement

Where the risk of trespass is high sophisticated metal paling fences will be required Trespassing should be actively discouraged by signage and security measures, eg. Lighting Records must be kept to show that barriers have been inspected and repaired

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