13 quarry operators guilty of serious health and safety breaches

According to the OHSA’s annual report, the breaches were discovered during inspections carried out on 52 quarries after owners were informed of a planned OHSA inspections.

Although inspections showed that most machinery and plant installations were periodically and routinely checked, problems were identified with regards to the carrying out of risk assessments and the keeping of health and safety files which have to be regularly updated.

Other important legal requirements assessed during the inspections included preventive and protective measures against falls, noise evaluations, first aid facilities and the keeping of accident registers.

During 2010 the OHSA also carried 27 inspections to evaluate health and safety standards among refuse collectors in their daily tasks.  A marked improvement was noted over inspections held in the previous year.

In 2010 the OHSA also conducted inspection of 400 fork lifters in the premises of 148 companies. Results showed that over 90% of fork lifters were regularly maintained and 55% were regularly inspected by a competent person.