accident_and_dangerous_occurrences_reporting
At a recent meeting of the Quarry Safety Partnership, it was outlines that the level of accident reporting to the Authority from the Quarrying Sector is extremely low. To date in 2018, 17 accidents and 1 dangerous occurrence have been reported to the Authority from the sector and these came from just 8 companies with 12 of the accidents reported by two relatively small companies.
Any accident that results in a person being absent from work for 3 or more consecutive days or any accident to a member of the public that results in them requiring medical attention are reportable and should be notified to the Authority.
The failure to report accidents and dangerous occurrences greatly hinders the Authority in identifying trends and issues that are arising in quarries that could result in more serious or fatal injury occurring if the underlying factors are not identified or addressed. In addition to this the under reporting gives a false impression of the general standards of health and safety in the quarrying sector, potentially resulting in reduced resources being made available by the Authority to the sector.
If under reporting is due concerns at the prospect of follow up inspection and investigation, they should be made aware that less than 5% of all reported accidents are investigated by the Authority and generally, investigations occur only if the injuries to persons are significant.
Please see attached the Authority’s guidance document ‘Guidance on the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Reporting of Accidents and Dangerous Occurrences) Regulations 2016’