The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) are carrying out a workplace safety blitz on quarries.
The Quarry Safety Week campaign will run from the 9th to the 16th of September, and will focus on the known causes of fatal incidents at quarries, such as machinery and vehicle safety issues. Quarries are generally noisy, dusty places and some of the work at them can be very physical - this all contributes to making them a dangerous place to work.
During Quarry Safety Week, HSA inspectors plan to carry out more than 50 quarry inspections all throughout Ireland. Dr Sharon McGuinness, the Chief Executive Officer of the HSA, has urged employers to lead the way in delivering safer workplaces. She has said, "Since 2009, six people have lost their lives in quarries, many more have suffered a serious debilitating injury. That's why Quarry Safety Week is so important - we need to get people home safely."
There was a warm welcome for the support from the Irish Concrete Federation for the blitz week, as employers, contractors and self-employed in the sector must all have understood that safety is their priority. The overall aim of the campaign is to not catch anyone out, and inspectors were to focus the management of safety and the implementation of control measures to help to either eliminate or reduce the risk arising from hazards in quarries, which are essential in keeping workers safe.
Dr McGuinness has said, "Considerable numbers of traffic movements happen on a daily basis at quarries. These involve very large quarry vehicles with limited visibility increasing the risks to workers, pedestrians and visitors of being struck. To ensure safety at quarries, it is paramount that the control of quarry vehicles is a high priority focus for quarry management and quarry workers. All vehicles must be kept in good condition, pre-checked on a daily basis, with particular emphasis on maintenance and testing of brakes.”
Inspectors will be monitoring for any of this kind of activity on the ground during the week as well as looking out for safety breaches. In particular, they will be seeking evidence of the following:
Warmly welcoming Quarry Safety Week 2019, the representative body for the Irish quarrying and concrete manufacturing sector urged both the industry and representative organisations to step up the emphasis on safety issues - by holding in-house talks and awareness training. The Irish Concrete Federation's Chief Executive, Gerry Farrell has backed the HSA's quarry safety blitz, saying this week was an opportunity for companies to review their safety procedures, and also for them to implement new initiatives to enhance the safety and well-being of all employees.
Farrell has said, "I strongly urge quarry managers to review their operations this week with a view to managing the risk associated with vehicles and machinery. Safety, however, must remain a priority all year round and with everyone's efforts, the level of fatalities and serious injuries of the past can be significantly reduced."
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