Breedon Trading Ltd, have been fined for safety breaches following a fly rock projection during the use of explosives at a blast at Cwt-y-Bugail Quarry in North Wales.
On 15 January 2020, blasting at Cwt-y-Bugail Quarry resulted in rocks being ejected outside of the danger zone. An investigation found that flyrock from the blasting operation, had landed 270m away, puncturing the roof of an occupied work shed, and causing a hole in the outside pane of the occupied manager’s office skylight window.
The Health and Safety Executive's (HSE's) investigation deemed that it was reasonably practicable for the company to ensure the blasting did not give rise to danger by:
They found that there were poor stemming practices, the written specification was not prepared until after the firing of the blast, and there was an inadequate danger zone was in place.
Due to these failures, there was a flyrock outside of the danger zone. This has made one quarry operative run for cover during the explosion as well as putting other employees in the area at risk.
Breedon Trading Ltd pleaded guilty to breaches of the:
and were fiend £300,000 and ordered to pay £2,534.80 in costs.
HSE Specialist Inspector of Quarries, Adrian Jurg, commented on the case: “Blasting operations at quarries are inherently high risk, and these risks must be rigorously controlled by good explosives engineering practice and in accordance with legal requirements. It is unacceptable that employees, and potentially members of the public, be put at serious risk of being hit by rocks that could easily lead to death or serious injury.”
