Achieving more together at Hillhead

First published in the July 2024 issue of Quarry Management

Membership organisations demonstrate commitment to industry

The Institute of Quarrying (IQ) and The Mineral Products Qualifications Council (MPQC) welcomed a record Hillhead attendance to take the opportunity to underline their collaborative approach for the benefit of the mineral products sector.

Joint chief executive officer James Thorne explains: ‘Hillhead gave us a great opportunity to demonstrate our resources to the individuals and businesses in our sector, and to show how we effectively collaborate with other organisations on health and safety, and our commitment to inspiring the next generation by enabling 30 school children to experience Hillhead and our superb sector at first hand. In addition, we were delighted to welcome 11 members from The Institute of Quarrying Australia (IQA) undertaking a study tour of the UK as our guests.’

Launch of Strategic Safety Forum

Hillhead saw the launch of a major strategic initiative to improve health and safety in the mineral products industry.

IQ, MPQC, British Aggregates Association, Mineral Products Association, and QNJAC have united as the Strategic Safety Forum (SSF) for health and safety in the mineral products sector to facilitate collaboration and co-ordination between key sector organisations for the good of the industry and deliver on a common purpose.

As a collaborative forum spanning the aggregates, asphalt, cement, concrete, precast and masonry, dimension stone, lime, mortar and industrial sand industries across the whole of the UK, it will help to ensure that the sector achieves the highest possible standards of performance in health and safety (H&S) as part of its collective and individual, legal, and moral responsibility, so that everyone who engages with the sector is kept safe and well.

The SSF will seek to develop consensus across the sector to encourage alignment of the members’ initiatives and will facilitate collaboration and sharing. Emphasis will be placed on eliminating harm arising from the six key areas identified as being responsible for the majority of fatalities and serious injuries:

• Contact with moving machinery and isolation

• Workplace transport and pedestrian interface

• Work at height

• Workplace exposure to respirable crystalline silica

• Struck by moving or falling object

• Road traffic accidents.

To achieve its objectives, the Forum will co-ordinate its efforts on:

• Key health and safety issues

• Standards, skills, education, and resources

• Consolidated data and the interpretation of data to inform action

• Consistent and aligned communication

• Engagement with contractors

• Such other priorities as the Forum members shall from time to time agree.

Martin Riley, chair of the SSF, said: ‘I am delighted to see the collaborative work initiated by the previous Strategic Forum being taken forward with the support of the five key member bodies here. We all have a duty to ensure that our sector is safe, and that the well-being of our employees is delivered on a day-to-day basis.’

Students tour Hillhead to see why Minerals Matter

Thirty students from New Mills School and Chapel-en-le-Frith High School were guests of Minerals Matter during the Thursday of the show.

Each of the students had expressed a desire to attend and it was clear from their insightful questions and advance research that they were keen to make the most of the opportunity.

Their Hillhead tour included visiting five other exhibitors. Tarmac engaged with the students via several of their early years colleagues who fielded questions from the students, explaining the routes, skill sets and qualifications needed to work in the sector.

Wirtgen Group took the students on a tour of their crushing and processing machines, explaining the process in detail.

SMT GB demonstrated their digital experience, explaining how technology and innovative solutions are vital to the sector. Students were also very excited to be able to sit inside some of Volvo’s newest excavators.

CDE Group explained how their waste-management and recycling equipment enhances sustainability for operators.

EPC-UK provided an overview of drilling and blasting and gave the students some hands-on experience of replica inert explosive products, including wiring up electronic detonators.

All the tour participants went above and beyond to give the young people meaningful information about their areas of expertise and how they fit within the wider mineral products operations, as well as promoting the diverse career pathways in the sector.

Minerals Matter future skills co-ordinator Hannah Higley said: ‘We are extremely grateful to the businesses who all went above and beyond to give the students a really engaging experience. We had so much positive feedback from the students and lots of smiling faces, eager to learn more about our sector. Having the opportunity to show the diversity of skills, opportunities and world-class companies that help make up the minerals product sector is inspiring. This type of outreach to education is so meaningful and this year at Hillhead we were able to double the number of schoolchildren on the visit, compared with 2022.’

Institute of Quarrying Australia (IQA)

Eleven members of the IQA visited Hillhead for the first time as part of a wider visit to the UK that encompassed multiple site visits across Derbyshire and the South West. ‘The visit of our colleagues from IQA demonstrates the international reach and value of IQ membership. By sharing different working experiences and providing valuable networking opportunities through our branch network in the UK and via our overseas affiliate offices, IQ can support all its members on their career development journey, regardless of geography,’ said Sarah Fry, IQ head of membership and marketing.

Meeting sector challenges

During Hillhead, the IQ/MPQC stand presented its membership solutions in a variety of specialisms, including education and training, Continuing Professional Development (CPD), industry standards and qualifications, apprenticeships, future skills, and the IQ Benevolent Fund (IQBF).

MP Connect aiding safety by reducing risk

Also on show was MP Connect, a smart card and app scheme which aims to improve safety by proving individual competency and enforce its compliance to ensure anyone working on a quarry site as a driver or contractor is suitably qualified to do so. MP Connect can record site-specific inductions and be managed easily at the weighbridge or remotely, via the geo-fencing abilities of the app. Its use is mandatory to access many UK sites and is endorsed by other industry bodies, including the Mineral Products Association (MPA).

It is part of proving safety by compliance and by competency, both of which are key tenets of the work IQ and MPQC do.

Tailored on-demand learning via IQ CPD Select Series

The new CPD Select Series, for individuals incorporate the same accredited content as IQ’s qualifications launched on its new e-learning platform. The approach empowers learners and employers to obtain short, IQ-accredited units that can be completed as needed, individually, in bundles or in a bespoke package. The online delivery of these training units enables the learner to, with any device, progress their journey to competence through continuous professional development.

Self-Select lets individuals choose the knowledge most relevant to them now and in the future. Be it self-led, employer driven, or with guidance of the IQ Personal Development Wheel – IQ Self Select supports learners in acquiring the knowledge necessary to progress. This may be anything from geology, crushing and screening, to essentials such as health and safety.

IQ Select brings together the most salient units, based on a subject area or theme. Choosing IQ Select bundles can serve as a more cost-effective way to learn and provide a wider context of understanding for learners.

Employer Select enables expedient, bespoke business-wide deployment and development by bringing together IQ’s own expansive content catalogue within a single offering for employees, as well as enhancing or helping to build upon new areas of learning. It helps employers to address the CPD needs of their workforce, for IQ-supported CPD excellence.

IQ Connect

IQ Connect is a simple-to-navigate mobile app that provides members with access to learning materials and the latest industry best practices, as well offering an option to browse and register for upcoming events.

The app is a convenient and all-in-one pocket resource to manage IQ membership, easily record CPD activities, and gain access to a range of industry advice from the HSE and QNJAC, as well as the latest guide for handling soils in mineral workings. The app also curates past IQ webinars and factsheets mapped to IQ’s Personal Development Wheel.

Membership adds career value

‘We understand that individuals and the businesses in our sector need consistency across the industry on topics that impact personal and commercial success. They need approved standards and regulated qualifications relevant to business needs, as well as safety conscious and highly skilled employees who can access quality training and professional development for their own career progression. If you look at the work of IQ, the IQ branch network, and MPQC, you can see the breadth of our work as the clear bedrock supporting these needs,’ said James Thorne.

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