19.10.07
Cornish quarry project achieves national acclaim

A new health and safety management system for quarries developed by the University of Exeter’s Camborne School of Mines (CSM) is fast gaining recognition in the quarrying sector. Based on the University’s Tremough Campus, Penryn, as part of the Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC) initiative, CSM has developed ‘Quarrysafe’ with the support of leading industrial minerals supplier WBB Minerals UK.

The British Aggregates Association (BAA), the trade association that includes many smaller quarrying companies among its membership, is now promoting Quarrysafe to its members as part of its scheme for assessing operating standards of members’ sites. Richard Bird, Executive Officer of the BAA stated: “We consider Quarrysafe as the basis for health and safety management in quarries for our members. Larger operators generally employ their own in-house health and safety managers but for the smaller family business this is not always a practical proposition. Quarrysafe has provided the smaller operator with an understanding of how a modern H&S management system works as well as providing the framework to develop safety systems tailored to suit their own individual operations.”

Quarrying company WBB Minerals, which has a large site in Newton Abbot, worked with CSM by giving access to their sites for the research phase of the project. Andy Price, Integrated Systems Manager for WBB Minerals said: “The development and testing of Quarrysafe within WBB Minerals has helped to identify gaps requiring specific focus within the Company, mainly relating to aspects of workforce involvement. The tool sits well alongside our existing integrated management system and I would certainly recommend it to others as a means of targeting resource for continuous improvement.”

The research, recently published in academic form in the journal ‘Policy and Practice in Health and Safety’, included several months interviewing and observing management and workforce in thirteen UK quarries owned by WBB Minerals. Data was gathered relating to a wide range of areas such as senior management practice, competence and training, objective-setting and review, communication, occupational health, system audit, workforce involvement and effectiveness of procedure, including the perceptions of people working at all levels.

Jon Bennett, the Camborne School of Mines researcher who developed Quarrysafe, says: “CSM has expertise in all aspects of mining and quarrying, from geology, extraction and processing to management skills. As well as teaching and academic research, we work closely with industry and this is an example of how our expertise can benefit the sector. Quarrysafe provides a freely available template of good practice that any quarrying company may use to review their progress in moving towards a safer working environment and I am very pleased that the BAA has taken it on board.” Quarrysafe may be viewed at www.quarrysafe.co.uk.

For further information contact Sarah Hoyle, Press Officer, University of Exeter on 01392 262062/07989 446920 or email s.hoyle@exeter.ac.uk.

The Objective One Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has invested in the Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC) project, both Phase 1 and Phase 2, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Social Fund (ESF). University of Exeter is a partner of the CUC.

Editor's notes:

Camborne School of Mines (CSM) was founded in 1888 and became part of the University of Exeter in 1993. CSM has an international reputation for research and teaching related to the understanding and management of the Earth's natural processes, resources and the environment. Its portfolio of undergraduate, postgraduate and research degree programmes provide an excellent basis for careers, in the UK or overseas, within the Earth resources, civil engineering, environmental and energy sectors. The vast majority of CSM graduates are employed in areas related to their degree. CSM is based at the University of Exeter's Tremough Campus, near Penryn, Cornwall, which is shared with University College Falmouth as part of the Combined Universities in Cornwall (CUC) initiative.

Clare Morgan
Media Relations Manager
Objective One Partnership Office
Castle House
Pydar Street
Truro TR1 2UD
Mobile: 07973 813647
Telephone: 01872 223439

cmorgan@cornwall.gov.uk

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