HSE inspector competence questioned by QPA
The steady depletion of specialist quarries inspectors in the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) calls into question the competence of the government H&S watchdog to carry out its duties effectively in the industry, says the Quarry Products Association (QPA).
The accusation comes as the QPA, which accounts for 90% of all UK quarrying, kick starts a campaign to send pressure up and down the line to all industry stakeholders to improve health and safety performance in light of its zero incident target for 2015.
QPA health and safety director Martin Isles told MQR that the industry was doing its bit to meet Target Zero and that it was now up to other stakeholders, especially the HSE, to play their part in improving incident rates.
He said: “An example of this is the depletion in HSE quarry inspector numbers. Until recently, there were nine specialist quarries inspectors in the HSE to cover the whole of Great Britain. Two have now moved – one is off due to long-term sickness and a further one is about to retire.
“The current and imminent further depletion of the HSE’s specialist quarries inspectors is bringing into question the competence of the HSE to discharge its specialist functions correctly and proportionately.”
Writing for the next issue of MQR Magazine, Isles highlights four areas of concern for the QPA including the HSE’s levying of a charge for specialist literature, geographical inconsistencies and a dysfunction between policy and field operations.
The call comes at a time when the QPA is starting to shift its emphasis from focusing on reducing RIDDOR injuries – work-related deaths, major or over-three-day injuries, work-related diseases and dangerous occurrences – to Lost Time Injuries of one shift or more, following what it sees as its success in lowering RIDDOR incidents.
It positions is boosted by recent figures from the QPA show its members are only eight short of the self-imposed target to halve health and safety incidents on site by 2009 with a 136 fall since 2004 in annual workplace injuries.
The accusation comes as the QPA, which accounts for 90% of all UK quarrying, kick starts a campaign to send pressure up and down the line to all industry stakeholders to improve health and safety performance in light of its zero incident target for 2015.
QPA health and safety director Martin Isles told MQR that the industry was doing its bit to meet Target Zero and that it was now up to other stakeholders, especially the HSE, to play their part in improving incident rates.
He said: “An example of this is the depletion in HSE quarry inspector numbers. Until recently, there were nine specialist quarries inspectors in the HSE to cover the whole of Great Britain. Two have now moved – one is off due to long-term sickness and a further one is about to retire.
“The current and imminent further depletion of the HSE’s specialist quarries inspectors is bringing into question the competence of the HSE to discharge its specialist functions correctly and proportionately.”
Writing for the next issue of MQR Magazine, Isles highlights four areas of concern for the QPA including the HSE’s levying of a charge for specialist literature, geographical inconsistencies and a dysfunction between policy and field operations.
The call comes at a time when the QPA is starting to shift its emphasis from focusing on reducing RIDDOR injuries – work-related deaths, major or over-three-day injuries, work-related diseases and dangerous occurrences – to Lost Time Injuries of one shift or more, following what it sees as its success in lowering RIDDOR incidents.
It positions is boosted by recent figures from the QPA show its members are only eight short of the self-imposed target to halve health and safety incidents on site by 2009 with a 136 fall since 2004 in annual workplace injuries.
