Great Britain Decade of Safety in Quarries

A decade of success in reducing death and injury in Great Britain”s quarries was marked in a special address at the Hillhead 2010 quarry exhibition recently – one of the biggest events in the quarrying calendar.

Reportable injuries in the sector are down 76% since the “Hard Target” initiative was launched in 2000 and Judith Hackitt, chair of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), commended the companies, trade bodies and trade unions for their efforts.

Hackitt used her speech to rally the industry in making a renewed commitment to “Target Zero,” with the aim of bringing down reportable injuries by a further 15% year on year by 2015. (WCxKitz)

Health and safety improvements in the industry continue to be driven forward through specific working groups looking at areas such as education and training, occupational health, use of contractors and working with explosives.

According to Hackitt, "The quarrying industry has demonstrated what can be achieved when an industry sector commits to improvement in health and safety.

“However, there is no room for complacency. As the number of incidents decrease, it will get ever more challenging for the industry to make further gains. Reaching the new goals will require even more hard work, determination and the development of new approaches. (WCxKitz)

"The improvements made so far are down to strong leadership, with employers promoting a safety culture right across their organizations, bolstered by the efforts of the unions and trade associations.”

Author Robert Elliott, executive vice president, Amaxx Risks Solutions, Inc. has worked successfully for 20 years with many industries to reduce Workers’ Compensation costs, including airlines, healthcare, printing/publishing, pharmaceuticals, retail, hospitality and manufacturing. Contact: Robert_Elliott@ReduceYourWorkersComp.com .

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