Quarrying – Ireland’s most dangerous job

FIGURES released by the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) have revealed that quarrying is the most high-risk and dangerous occupation in Ireland. Over the last five years (1997–2001) there have been 14 fatalities in the sector, which represents a doubling of the previous five-year figure of seven fatalities.

In an intensive campaign of quarry inspections carried out during Ireland’s Quarry Safety Week at the end of September 2002, Inspectors said they continued to find examples of poor management of fixed and mobile plant at quarries and associated manufacturing units, despite the occurrence of two fatalities last year, one involving contact with a conveyor and the other involving contact with an excavator.

Pat Griffin, the HSA’s Senior Inspector for Mines and Quarries, said: ‘While much is being done for the sector both by the Authority and by representative bodies, the general finding of the majority of quarry Inspectors was that the level of safety awareness in quarries remains poor and an ongoing cause for concern…and confirms to me that much work remains to be done in the sector.’

Highlighting the problem, Mr Griffin pointed to the number of enforcement actions taken by Inspectors during the Quarry Safety Week. In total, 11 prohibition notices, 26 improvement notices and 94 advice notices were served during the course of the week, the majority of these relating to inadequate machinery guarding, poor vehicle safety or poor systems of work.

While some improvements were seen in relation to machinery guarding, Mr Griffin said the sector still had a long way to go in preventing accidents with fixed plant. However, he added that the lack of safety management of mobile plant remained the biggest cause of fatalities and the greatest problem area.

Warning of rigorous follow-up activity, Mr Griffin said that every enforcement notice served by the Inspectors would be systematically pursued. ‘Where we see cases of non-compliance, we will not be slow to use the powers available to us to ensure safety standards are improved.’

Also commenting on the week, Tom Beegan, director general of the HAS, urged the quarry sector to make a conscious effort to ensure that every week is a safe week. ‘This is the only way of reducing the pain and misery caused by quarrying accidents,’ he said.