BAA Conference

Report on the Association’s 2011 seminar proceedings

This year more than 80 members and associates attended the annual meeting of the British Aggregates Association, which took place on 20 June in the splendid setting of the Barnsdale Hall Hotel, on the edge of Rutland Water. For only the second time in the meeting’s 11-year history, the 2011 AGM and seminar proceedings took the form of an all-day event.

The day began with a morning session consisting of seven brief cameo presentations on a diverse range of themes, including: a round-up of the latest industry research opportunities by Alan Gibbon of MIRO; an overview of the implications of the forthcoming Water Act by Phil Slater of SLR; details of an alternative approach to geotechnical surveying by Adrian Wilkinson of QuarryDesign; and information on apprentice training by Paul Davis of SERAC.

The morning session was rounded off by Eric Darlow, chairman of the BAA Assessment of Operating Standards Scheme and former head of HM Quarries Inspectorate, who concluded that it had been a good year for safety in the extractives industry and also for the Association’s assessment scheme, with BAA Certificates of Operating Competence awarded to Moreton C. Cullimore’s Round House Farm site, in Wiltshire; Glendinning’s Linhay Hill Quarry, in Devon; and Summerleaze’s Denham Quarry, in Buckinghamshire.

After lunch, the main seminar proceedings commenced with a presentation entitled ‘Individuals in the firing line’, by Laura Cameron, a partner with law firm McGrigors and a leading specialist in the field of health and safety. She highlighted the dramatic change over the past 12–24 months whereby attention is increasingly focusing on individuals within companies, with senior executives regularly being called for interview by the police and the courts. With serious criminal cases and significant fines set to increase, she said there was a need for careful allocation of health and safety responsibilities, as well as accurate and balanced incident reporting.

Next to speak was John Barritt, construction materials specialist with WRAP, who looked at aggregates standards and the way changes coming out of Europe are going to impact upon the industry. In particular, he noted that CE marking for aggregates, which is currently optional, will become mandatory in the UK from July 2013. He also highlighted forthcoming changes to the aggregates testing regime, including the introduction of characterization testing for dangerous substances.

In a joint presentation, Mike Phillips and Julian Smallshaw from the Institute of Quarrying focused on the importance of competence in the workplace. They explained the need for individuals to maintain competence through continuing professional development (CPD), offered advice on where and how to obtain CPD, discussed the benefits of the Institute’s blended training programme, and gave an insight into the Corporate Professional Competence (CPC) scheme operated by the Institute for employers.

Finally, Bill Bolsover, chairman of the Construction Products Association, brought the seminar proceedings to a close with his reflections on a year of coalition government and its impact on the industry. In a wide-ranging and optimistic presentation he touched upon many issues including, among others, the deficit reduction programme, public sector spending, taxation, localism, sustainability and the state of the market. After commenting on how his own Association was actively promoting the construction products sector to government, he said the construction sector was in need of a ‘single voice’ capable of speaking to government on behalf of the entire industry. He also reiterated his long-standing call for the quarrying industry, in particular, to do more to promote both itself and its products to the general public.