| Dealing with public trespass |
Tarmac Southern’s Sevenoaks Quarry suffered considerably from trespass, vandalism, dumping of stolen vehicles and so on, which was ascribed to a small section of the residents of a nearby housing estate. Mindful that there is also deep water on the site, and the recent drowning tragedies involving members of the public elsewhere in the UK, the quarry manager developed a proactive approach with two key objectives.
Firstly, a set of on-site systems and procedures were formulated for protection of the workforce from the effects of the intruders. Amongst these are the fitting of safety glass to mobile plant (to prevent injury to operator from missiles), and the issue of medical gloves with which to remove discarded syringes.
Secondly, in co-operation with the local community, a number of communication initiatives have been actioned.
These include:
• formation of a Police and Housing Association Committee
• employment of security guard
• regular warning letters to local residents
• local community liaison group (six monthly meetings)
• publicity via local newspaper
• QPA “Play Safe – Stay Safe” video shown to and left with local schools
• CCTV installed on site.
These actions are believed to have significantly reduced the potential for a serious accident and the
attendant negative publicity for the site and the industry in general. |