Quarrying firm fined after landslide takes offices down with it

A QUARRYING company has been fined for safety failings after a quarry face fell, taking an office block with it.

The Chesterfield-based firm Block Stone was fined £30,333 after pleading guilty to breaching saftey regulations.

In early January 2014, New Pilough Quarry suffered a significant face failure that was not reported to the Health and Safety Executive.

Prior to the 2013 Christmas shutdown, the quarry operator identified surface cracks in the superficial deposit of the southern face, against which remedial action should have been taken.

The firm did not involve their geotechnical specialist when they had changed the design of the quarry or when they identified the surface crack in the quarry top of the southern face.

HSE Inspector, Richard Noble, said: “Had the quarry been properly managed in accordance with the legislation, this event could have been avoided. It is fortunate that the incident occurred during the Christmas shut down.

“Had it occurred during a normal working day, people may have been in the office area and they could have been killed or seriously injured.”