The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) is set to begin a 'Machinery guarding, safe isolation and maintenance' inspection across Northern Ireland Quarries, Concrete and Waste Premises.

HSENI inspectors will be visiting quarries, concrete and waste premises between 13 May until September 2024 to ensure that machinery is adequately guarded to prevent access to dangerous parts.

Inspectors will ensure operators have sufficient procedures for safely isolating and locking out equipment. They'll also review the measures in place to ensure both routine and non-routine maintenance can be done safely.

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Speaking on the upcoming campaign, HSENI Principal Inspector Brian Pryce said: "Machinery guarding, isolation and maintenance activities remain a major risk for the sector. Our key message is to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery, and to develop, implement and supervise appropriate procedures for carrying out maintenance (i.e., isolation and lock-out).

"Our Inspectors will be checking that adequate arrangements are in place to guard dangerous moving parts of work equipment, and that suitable procedures are in place to safely complete both routine and non-routine maintenance."

During the inspection initiative, HSENI Inspectors will offer information and guidance. If they discover significant risks, they may enforce actions to ensure compliance with health and safety laws and proper risk management.