Quarry Danger- Stay safe and stay out!

Quarries are one of the most dangerous places to work in, as our drilling and GES team know. This year alone we have worked on three quarry sites. Like any other job, health and safety is paramount.

Most of the accidents and deaths could be avoided, the message from governing bodies and local councils are stay out and stay alive.

Quarries which are abandoned and disused can be very dangerous places and children are often tempted to play around the area and think that the quarry water looks inviting. However there can be many hidden dangers. Here are some tips on staying safe and what to avoid.

• You should never enter a quarry without permission from the land owner.
• Quarry water is colder than the sea or rivers

Many quarries are fed from water from underground springs or aquifers. As the water comes from deep below the ground it can be much colder than lakes and rivers.

As a result of plunging into the water your body can go into shock within minutes.

Assuming you survive the shock your limbs can become stiff and muscle weakness makes it hard to swim or tread water.

• Quarry water can be very deep.

If you can’t touch the bottom it can be very hard to get out. Submerged plants can drag you under.

• Submerged and abandoned machinery or car wrecks can lie beneath the water.

These could cause injury or impalement if you jump in.

• Hidden currents and tunnels

You can become exhausted more quickly than you think and get pulled under by the strong currents or trapped.

• Dead animals and rubbish

Excrement and dead animals can cause disease and fatal conditions.

• Pollution

Pollution in the quarry water can cause irritations to eyes, skin irritations, rashes, stomach problems, fungal infections and more.

• Poisonous and toxic algae
• Many quarries are remote and miles from a hospital or ambulance station. Some are not even accessible by car and therefore reaching the emergency services can be very difficult.
• Quarry faces are unstable and can give way at any minute.
• If you enter a quarry you are breaking the law and could face a fine.