Tarmac continue support for water safety campaign
Company working with MPA to highlight National Fire Chiefs Council’s ‘Be Water Aware’ initiative
TARMAC are continuing to lead safety in the quarrying industry, and support organizations in promoting safety for those working in and living around quarries. The company is currently working with the Mineral Products Association (MPA) – a long-term supporter of the UK’s National Drowning Prevention Strategy – to highlight the National Fire Chiefs Council’s ‘Be Water Aware’ initiative.
The UK National Drowning Prevention Strategy aims to achieve a 50% reduction in accidental drowning by 2026, and save over 200 lives per year. The Be Water Aware campaign is part of this programme. It targets runners and walkers, young adult drinkers and people away from home, who might use the water for sport or recreation.
MPA members are helping to highlight the Be Water Aware initiative by talking with schools near to quarries, contacting local MPs and supporting its media campaign.
Martin Riley, Tarmac’s senior vice-president, said: ‘Continually improving safety for everyone living and working around quarries is something we’re absolutely committed to. We’re only too happy to support the MPA and National Fire Chiefs Council in sharing these vital safety messages. We all have a responsibility do the best job possible to ensure we keep sites secure, and that people are educated on any potential hazards.’
The MPA runs its own ongoing ‘Stay Safe’ campaign, which raises awareness of the dangers of entering quarries and other sites uninvited and unsupervised. This message is particularly important in quarries that contain water – quarry lakes can seem tempting, but are deep and extremely cold, and can contain hidden hazards.
This message is especially vital as school holidays and warmer weather approach and incidents of trespass in quarries increase. Sadly, industry statistics reveal an average of five fatalities each year in UK quarries, involving members of the public, the majority of which are water-related and occur in disused sites.
