The Health and Safety Authority (HSA) and the Health and Safety Executive Northern Ireland (HSENI) have launched a joint All-Island Concrete Block Making Safety Inspection Campaign, marking the first coordinated quarry safety initiative undertaken by both regulatory bodies across the island of Ireland.

According to the HSA, the two-week campaign commenced on 11 May and will see inspectors from both jurisdictions carrying out coordinated inspections of block-making operations and associated activities, with a focus on the significant risks posed by large-scale mobile block making plant and machinery.

Over the five-year period from 2021 to 2025, quarrying and associated manufacturing activities accounted for five work-related fatalities in the Republic of Ireland and three in Northern Ireland.

Inspectors will assess compliance across several key risk areas including work-related vehicle safety and pedestrian-vehicle segregation, driver training for loading shovels and forklift trucks, safe systems of work for concrete manufacturing and strapping processes, Lock Out Tag Out Try Out procedures during maintenance, machinery and conveyor guarding, and the safe use of chemicals in block making.

"Block-making operations can be particularly hazardous workplaces, given the scale and power of the machinery involved," said Hilary Byrne, senior inspector with the HSA. "Employers must actively carry out suitable risk assessments and implement appropriate control measures to ensure the safety of employees, contractors and visitors."

Brian Pryce, principal inspector at HSENI, said the campaign would reinforce the necessity for robust safety systems and effective isolation procedures across the sector.

Irish Concrete Federation chief executive Gerry Farrell welcomed the initiative, describing safety as a shared responsibility and urging all members to engage positively with the inspections.

Read the full details and compliance guidance in the original announcement.