Machinery Guarding Training Pack for Quarries

The Covid-19 pandemic has prevented the delivery of Quarry Safety Campaign workshops to ICF members as normally happens when the HSA run initiatives for the quarrying Industry.

To continue to support improvement in safety standards in the Quarry Sector, the Authority has decided to provide campaign guidance material within this information document that may help in achieving compliance.

Please consider the contents, distribute & explain to your staff, and take any actions as appropriate.

The Authority has prepared a Machinery Guarding Inspection Proforma that identifies the key areas that inspectors would review during any inspection. The Machinery Guarding Inspection Proforma is included in this information document. The Authority has also developed a generic checklist for conveyors that quarry operators could further develop and adapt for use at their quarries to carry our conveyor safety checks. The generic checklist may contain a number of items that may not be included on each conveyor, which is why it may be necessary for the quarry operator to adapt the checklist to reflect each conveyor at the quarry. The conveyor checklist does not specify a time period within which a checklist should be completed. This should be based upon the individual conveyor or location, on how many hours the conveyor is in use, the level of maintenance work that is required and the age and general condition of the conveyor.

Operating machinery that is inadequately guarded can result in fatal or severe injuries if a person becomes entangled or trapped. Similarly, maintenance work can be equally as dangerous if suitable isolation is not in place while guarding is removed or where work at height or in confined spaces is not adequately managed.

The generic conveyor checklist is overleaf and the Machinery Guarding Inspection Proforma which will be used by Inspectors is on the following page. The remainder of the document provides guidance on machinery and conveyor safety that may assist in addressing items in the Machinery Guarding Inspection Proforma.

Please see PDF for full document