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The Health and Safety Authority requests comments and observations on the proposals for the draft Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Quarries) Regulations 2014 prior to submission of the proposals to the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Mr. Richard Bruton, for his consideration.

The purpose of these Regulations is to revise and replace the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Quarries) Regulations 2008 as amended by the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Quarries) Amendment Regulations, 2013 to address identified issues.

The amendments included in these proposed revised draft regulations will:


  1. improve safeguards in relation to the use of explosives by requiring that:

    1. the Quarry Operator ensures the competence of drilling operators;
    2. ensure that trainee shotfirers only fire shots whilst under competent supervision;
    3. ensure changes to the blast specification are agreed between the shotfirer and the explosives supervisor prior to blasting,

  2. enable Quarry Operators to take appropriate measures and then notify the Authority of the temporary cessation of quarry operations at a quarry. This will remove the requirements on the Operator to comply with the Quarry Regulations until they are in a position to recommence operations. This may reduce the financial and legal burden on Operators that have quarries that are currently not economically viable to operate or maintain,

  3. provide greater clarity to the definition of “quarry” and of ”quarry operations”,

  4. allow for the deletion of Part 7 and Schedule 4 of the 2008 Regulations as amended in 2013 as these now fall within the requirements of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) (Amendment) Regulations 2012,

  5. ensure Schedule 1 of the Regulations reflects the dissolving of FAS and the establishment of SOLAS and takes account of changes in the 2013 Construction Regulations,

  6. improve the efficiency of the compliance process as stakeholders will operate on the basis of a simplified legislative framework.

The text of the following may be accessed at the link below:

Make a submission

The closing date for receiving submissions is 5.00 p.m. on Thursday 3rd July 2014.