#WorldSoilDay: Updated guidance from IQ

Institute of Quarrying publishes updated ‘Good Practice Guide for Handling Soils in Mineral Workings’

RESPONDING to the United Nations’ awareness event ‘World Soil Day’ on 5 December, the Institute of Quarrying (IQ) is reminding anyone involved in earthmoving, from mineral products operations, land management and restoration through to civil engineering and the wider construction industry, of the new reference publication ‘Good Practice Guide for Handling Soils in Mineral Workings’.

The updated guide succeeds MAFF’s* ‘Good Practice for Handling Soils’ and has been published following a detailed review led by IQ, in consultation with Natural England and the Welsh Government, and with the support and guidance of a Steering Group representing the minerals industry, mineral planning authorities, contractors, professional bodies, and specialist consultants.

The guide was originally published in 2000 and was designed specifically to help the mineral industry and its contractors to achieve a good standard of agricultural restoration when using various combinations of earthmoving machinery for soil stripping, storage, and replacement. The update is timely given the new government policies relating to land use and the safeguarding of all soils.

While the guidance is aimed primarily at managers of quarry operations, mineral planners, restoration specialists, consultants, and earthmoving contractors, it also extends to the civil engineering and wider construction sectors.

Julian Smallshaw, IQ’s head of education and standards, said: ‘The Institute has been able to bring together all facets of the industry to help peer review this valuable work. It has taken over three years to get to this point and much time and effort by all involved. This resource will be a ‘must have’ for anyone involved in the handling of soils on mineral extraction sites.

‘To date the guidance has been widely used by the mineral industry and planning authorities, and their advisors. With the recent changes in land use (Natural Capital focus) and environmental (climate and soils) related policies, it is appropriate that the guidance is updated and expanded to include these.

‘At IQ, we will be incorporating this guidance in our own educational and training materials as part of our commitment to ensure learning is aligned with current best practices in the industry.’

Dr Neil Humphries, author of both the original and the updated guidance, said: ‘I am very pleased that the Institute has taken on this initiative and that it will become part of its educational programme. Importantly, it now integrates the role and contribution of professional soil scientists in the deployment of good operational practice by way of a Soil Resource & Management Plan.

‘This should be the primary reference material for characterizing the soil resources available, informing, and successfully delivering the intended after use(s), whether it is agricultural, horticultural, forestry, semi-natural vegetation/ecosystems, or other soil-based ones. It will underpin the operational design, land use and landscaping plan, the practices needed to be deployed, and the means of communication to all those involved. The importance of competency in the technical understanding of soils and the implications of the operational practices is also emphasized.’

The ‘Good Practice Guide for Handling Soils in Mineral Workings’ is made up of two parts. Part One is an introduction to soils and their handling by machines, and Part Two comprises 15 practical application guidance notes (titled Sheet A – Sheet O). The total number of pages is 162 but these can be easily navigated through hyperlinks. The individual practical applications can also be downloaded as separate pdfs. For more information or to download the updated guidance, visit: www.quarrying.org/soils-guidance 

World Soil Day (5 December) aims to raise awareness of the importance of maintaining healthy ecosystems and human well-being by addressing the growing challenges in soil management, fighting soil salinization, increasing soil awareness, and encouraging societies to improve soil health.

*MAFF is the former Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, now absorbed into DEFRA (The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)