Grave concern at the increasing rate of fatalities in the quarrying sector was expressed yesterday by the Health and Safety Authority (HSA). After a fatality-free 2004, four workers have been killed in quarries to date this year, prompting renewed concerns about safety standards.
Two men died while working on block-making machines; another was working on the conveyor of a mobile screening unit while the fourth was killed when a quarry face collapsed.
The HSA has designated this week "quarry safety week" and announced a campaign yesterday to raise awareness of the risks facing quarry workers.
An information calendar, outlining six critical risk areas requiring particular attention, is being circulated to all quarries in Ireland.
The HSA said it hoped this would result in quarry workers getting the critical safety information they required. In addition to the poster initiative, it plans to carry out more than 120 inspections this week to measure safety improvements in quarries.
The authority's "quarries impact assessment project" has already set a baseline from which it can establish what, if any improvements, have been made.
Senior inspector Pat Griffin said the authority was very concerned there had been four fatalities this year, after the work that had been done by the HSA and the industry to improve safety standards.
"We have renewed our determination to ensure that workers and employers put safety at the top of their agendas," he said.
The information posters, along with the other safety week initiatives, should help the industry get "back on the road to zero fatalities. These initiatives are practical ones aimed at refocusing workers and employers on the leading causes of fatalities and injuries in quarries," Mr Griffin said.
The HSA says the major causes of fatalities in the sector include moving vehicles, particularly those reversing or operating in tight corners, as well as fixed machinery, maintenance activities and falls from a height.
These and the necessary training to achieve behavioural change will form the subject matter of the national quarries safety conference, to be held at Athlone Institute of Technology on September 8th.
The conference will be opened by Minister of State for Labour Affairs Tony Killeen and admission will be free for those involved in the industry.
Quarrying: fatal accidents this year
March 1st: A 48-year-old man died following the collapse of a quarry face at a quarry in Co Donegal.
May 3rd: A 57-year-old worker was killed when he was working on a block-making machine at a quarry in Co Wexford.
May 10th: A 31-year-old worker was killed when he was working on the conveyor of a mobile screening unit at a quarry in Co Donegal.
June 7th: A 47-year-old worker was killed when he was working on a block-making machine at a quarry in Co Tipperary.
