Recent Safety Initiatives
Quarry and Asphalt
Production Location Improvement 2006
All locations demonstrated improvement through the inspections carried out during 2006.
No major defects were noted at any location that would have resulted in imminent danger.
Croaghan Quarry and the Mobile Crawlmaster crushing operation showed most improvement during the year. Ballintra, North Down and Carrickmore came a close second with Ballymena, Carmean and Mountfield showing a good general improvement.
In keeping with our ethos of continual improvement we have identified areas where maintenance and guarding improvements are possible in 2007; and, as is always required in our industry, the need to remain focussed on general housekeeping standards and cleanliness throughout the quarry.
The Scores!
Overall Percentage Improvement in 2006
| Croaghan | 64% |
| Ballintra | 53% |
| Ballymena | 51% |
| Carmean | 51% |
| Mountfield | 51% |
| North Down | 53% |
| Mobile Crawlmaster | 57% |
| Carrickmore | 53% |
How Did We Work It Out / Score?
Two inspections were carried out at each location during 2006, examining the whole production operation, the results from these inspections were recorded on a spreadsheet developed for this purpose; recording hazards and associated risk with detail of the appropriate control measures for the whole production operation.
The first inspection carried out at the start of the year allocated a 'score' to each risk and allowed priorities to be identified for improvement on a risk basis, i.e. address highest risk first. The ‘scores from each risk were then added together to give a total risk rating for each location.
The second inspection carried out in November again allocated a ‘score’ to each risk and allowed improvement to be measured in the difference between the ‘score’ from the first to second inspection; each location could then be measured against the others, on a most improved basis, i.e. the highest reduction in score had carried out most improvements.
| Location | Assessment Score January: | Assessment Score November: |
| Croaghan | 2306.1 | 901.32 |
| Ballintra | 298.68 | 276.29 |
| Ballymena | 34.846 | 29.648 |
| Carmean | 1211.8 | 1168.8 |
| Mountfield | 252.38 | 266.63 |
| North Down | 1346.3 | 830.39 |
| Mobile Crawlmaster | 776.93 | 443.19 |
| Carrickmore | 1876.4 | 1044 |
To balance the scores for risk reduction and ensure a fair measurement across all locations; where our locations do vary in size, conditions, age and the extent of their individual operation, we decided to also focus on ‘Lost Time Accidents’ and ‘Improvements to Traffic Routes’. These areas were also ‘scored’ and included in the overall total.
| Location | Lost Time Accidents | Points |
| Croaghan | Nil | 100 |
| Ballintra | Nil | 100 |
| Ballymena | Nil | 100 |
| Carmean | One | 80 |
| Mountfield | Nil | 100 |
| North Down | Nil | 100 |
| Mobile Crawlmaster | Nil | 100 |
| Carrickmore | Nil | 100 |
| Location | Improvements to Traffic Routes | Points |
| Croaghan | 3 | 60 |
| Ballintra | 2 | 40 |
| Ballymena | 1 | 20 |
| Carmean | 3 | 60 |
| Mountfield | 2 | 40 |
| North Down | 2 | 40 |
| Mobile Crawlmaster | 2 | 40 |
| Carrickmore | 2 | 40 |
30% of the total score for each location came from the measured inspection risk. 25% of the total score for each location came from the number of lost time accidents and 45% of the total score for each location came from improvements made to traffic routes. This provided a total of 100% for each Production Location.
Highlights
Concrete Division
Over the past 2 years a number of initiatives have been implemented by the Company as part of its overall policy of continued improvement. Some of the initiatives are listed below:-
Safe Drive at Northstone – a booklet was produced to highlight hazards of being a delivery driver of concrete, blocks or tiles and the controls that need to be followed to ‘Keep Safe’ while on the road.
Pedestrian/Vehicle Safety - Walkways have been clearly designated in production locations to ensure the safety of people on foot.
A programme of fitting reversing cameras to loading shovels and dump trucks has been carried out. Further retrofitting of delivery vehicles is in the process of being carried out and this will be another aid to ensure the safety of all employees and others on site.
Audit marking Scheme - This initiative consisted of marking each site against a predetermined set of criteria so that at the end of each round of auditing a league table was produced to show the top performers. The scheme has the desired effect of producing a competitive spirit between sites and locations so that the overall standards of health and safety improve. At the end of the year the top scorers in the different categories receive a prize as recognition of their hard work.
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