Quarry fall lands company in court

Date:

14 December 2009

Release No:

617/W/09

A quarry owner has been fined £10,000 after a teenage trespasser was seriously injured in Bridgend last year.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has prosecuted Tarmac Ltd of Wolverhampton - the owners of Cornelly Quarry - after a 15-year-old boy easily gained access to the site and fell around 50ft. He suffered a broken elbow, fractured wrist and chipped pelvis in May 2008.

The Tarmac Ltd quarry where the incident occurred

The incident led to Tarmac Ltd pleading guilty today (11 December) for a breach of Regulation 16 of The Quarries Regulations 1999 at Cardiff Crown Court. They were fined £10,000 with costs of £6,930.85 .

HSE's investigation revealed that a dense, impenetrable hedge running between the boundary of Cornelly Quarry and Heol y Splot had been removed in preparation for expansion of the quarry, but, because work had been delayed, it had been temporarily replaced by two lines of earth banks. which the injured youth, along with others, had easily been able to climb.

HSE Inspector Alan Strawbridge said:

"The youth clearly should not have been trespassing in the first place, but quarry owners are more than aware of the dangers posed by their sites, and have a duty to take reasonable precautions to prevent trespassers gaining access.

"In this case, the earth banks were not sufficient, and while they were only temporary, there should have been more robust measures in place.

"There are some clear messages arising from this case. Quarry owners and managers need to fully risk assess the dangers of their sites and proper measures to manage those risks.

"Additionally, there is a message to the public that quarries are not leisure amenities and trespassing can result in serious injury. In this case the boy was lucky as a 50ft fall would usually result in more serious injuries and potentially prove fatal."

Notes to editors

• The company were charged under Regulation 16 of the Quarries Regulations 1999 which states: "The operator shall ensure that, where appropriate, a barrier suitable for the purpose of discouraging trespass is placed around the boundary of the quarry and is properly maintained."
• Visit http://www.hse.gov.uk/quarries/index.htm for specific guidance on quarry safety.

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Issued on behalf of the Health and Safety Executive by COI News and PR Wales