Devon Quarry awarded BAA Site Assessment Certificate
Thursday, November 12th, 2009
DEVON Quarry, located near Kennoway, in Fife, Scotland, and part of the Skene Group of operations, has recently received a British Aggregates Association (BAA) Site Assessment Certificate, which is awarded to individual quarry locations that have been independently assessed as meeting the highest standards in health and safety.
The Site Assessment Scheme was introduced around two years ago and forms part of the HSE’s Target Zero initiative and the BAA’s contribution to demonstrating competence in the quarry work place.
The scheme is designed to ensure that an entire site meets all of the requirements laid down in the legislation affecting quarry operations. After examination of the operation by an independent health and safety assessor, a specialist panel headed by Eric Darlow, former Principal Inspector of Quarries, considers the findings of the assessor before a final certificate is awarded.
The certificate lasts for three years and the Scheme, which is very rigorous, is designed to be a ‘moving’ document that is constantly updated in line with new legislation and standards.
Commenting on the latest award, Neil Skene, managing director of the Skene Group, stated that the BAA Site Assessment Scheme was ideal for his company’s operations as it not only ensured that sites were managed correctly and safely, but also that procedures were constantly being improved and updated. He added that other quarries within the Group were now being considered for inclusion in the BAA scheme.
Richard Bird of the BAA said many members had now completed the scheme, while others had signed up to the commitment and were in various stages of assessment. “Skene Group are typical of the well-managed family quarry businesses that make up the majority of the BAA membership, and as such are exactly the kind of operation that the BAA Site Assessment Scheme was designed for,” he commented.
