Pits and Quarries

A pit is a workplace where loose materials, such as sand and gravel, are excavated. A quarry is a workplace where solid rock, such as lime or granite, is extracted. Pits and quarries have many workplace health and safety hazards, including heavy mobile equipment, vehicle traffic, dust, noise, heat, UV radiation from sunlight, vibration, electrical hazards, mechanical hazards, conveyors, rock crushing equipment, and sometimes explosives for blasting.

A key way to prevent incidents and create a safe working environment while working at a pit or quarry is to identify hazards, evaluate risk, and select effective control measures. Examples of risk control measures include fall protection, equipment maintenance, dust control, hazard awareness training, and personal protective equipment.

Surface mine marking location and control of entry

• A surface mine is clearly and adequately marked and identified, securely protected from unauthorized entry, where the mine presents a hazard by reason of its depth, openings, or approaches that are not clearly visible, and the hazard caused by natural topographical features within 600 metres of the working face. [N.S. Reg. 44/99, s. 175]

Notice of operation at a surface mine

• Where activities in a surface mine are initially started, or when activities are resumed after no operation for 4 months or more, notification of the director in writing, at least two weeks before the start of operations, with the notice specifying the geographic location of the mine and the estimated start-up date and period of operation. [N.S. Reg. 44/99, s. 182]

Road and vehicle safety at a surface mine

An employer must make sure that:

• All roadways at the surface mine location are designed, constructed and maintained to minimize slips, trips, falls, and skidding vehicles. [N.S. Reg. 44/99, s. 176]
• Adequate shoulder barrier, design, construction, and maintenance to prevent vehicles from going off the road, where the edge of a regularly used road in a surface mine has a drop-off of greater than 3 metres and presents a hazard. [N.S. Reg. 44/99, s. 177]
• The grade on roadways in a surface mine does not exceed 12% on any 300 metres portion of the roadway, unless there is a written procedure for handling vehicle runaways, provision of runaway lanes, retardation barriers, adequate vehicle modification or vehicle manufacturer's specifications are followed. [N.S. Reg. 44/99, s. 178(1)]
• The roadway grade in a surface mine does not exceed 12% on a roadway length that exceeds 300 metres, in the absence of the manufacturer's specifications. [N.S. Reg. 44/99, s. 178(2)]
• High visibility clothing is provided for all pedestrians at a surface mine in the vicinity of operating mobile equipment, and the clothing is used according to CSA Standard Z96.1"Guideline on selection, use and care of high-visibility safety apparel," and CSA standard CSA Z96 "High-visibility safety apparel." [N.S. Reg. 44/99, s. 179]
• Adequate precautions are taken to prevent vehicle overturn, where excavated material from a surface mine is dumped from a vehicle onto a stockpile. [N.S. Reg. 44/99, s. 180]

Working face, benching, and unconsolidated overburden

An employer must make sure that:

• Unconsolidated overburden at a surface mine is moved to a safe distance away from the edge to prevent material falling into the surface mine, is sloped to its angle of repose, and where materials are less than 7 metres away from the edge of a surface that is greater than 1.2 metres deep and when a person is or may be present, the approval of an engineer is required. [N.S. Reg. 44/99, s. 181]
• A competent person inspects the working face to make sure that it is adequate before any work is allowed to begin at or near a working face in a surface mine, and the competent person must record the results of the inspection in a daily examination and record book, and will record any hazardous occurrences. The competent person will also read the record in the daily examination and record book from the previous shift and sign it before work at the face begins for the next shift. [N.S. Reg. 44/99, s. 183]
• A surface mine is designed, constructed and maintained with a wall having a vertical rise of no more than 20 metres for every horizontal run not less than 8 metres, where a wall or working face of a surface mine is greater than 20 metres. [N.S. Reg. 44/99, s. 184(1)]
• Adequate benching of the wall or working face, where the wall or working face of a surface mine is 20 metres in height or less and where the working face cannot be excavated in a safe manner. [N.S. Reg. 44/99, s. 184(2)]
• Where a wall or working face of a surface mine is greater that 20 metres and not benched, that the wall or working face height has been deemed to be adequate by an engineer, extracted material is removed by equipment located at the top of the wall or working face, and in instances where work is required to be performed within a radius of 1.3 times the height of the wall or working face, that a procedure has been developed to ensure that the work is performed safely. [N.S. Reg. 44/99, s. 184(3)]
• No material is removed where a person is present in a surface mine, and they could potentially be struck by an object dislodged by the equipment. [N.S. Reg. 44/99, s. 184(4)]
• The vertical height of any unconsolidated material is not more than 1.5 metres above the maximum reach of the equipment being used to remove the unconsolidated material, unless any work being done is done according to written specifications and a written safe work procedure, certified by an engineer, following consultation with the committee or representative. [N.S. Reg. 44/99, s. 185]
• Where material in a surface mine is being worked on by powered mobile equipment, the working face is sloped to a maximum grade of one unit of vertical rise for every equal unit of horizontal run during periods of inactivity that exceed a period of 4 months, the working face extends not more than 1.5 metres above the maximum reach of the equipment or the work is performed according to written specifications and a written safe work procedure certified by an engineer, following consultation with the committee or representative, if any. [N.S. Reg. 44/99, s. 186(1)(2)]
• Where undercutting or undermining work is done at the working face of a surface mine, using powered mobile equipment, undercutting, or undermining is restricted to the depth of the bucket of the powered mobile equipment; and allowed only when the approach by the operator of the powered mobile equipment is at a 90° angle to the working face, the work is performed according to specifications, and a written safe work procedure certified by a competent person in consultation with the committee, or representative, if any. [N.S. Reg. 44/99, s. 187]
• Where unconsolidated material is being worked on in a surface mine by means other than powered mobile equipment, the working face is sloped at its angle of repose, the vertical portion of the working face does not exceed a maximum grade of one unit of vertical rise for every equal unit of horizontal run, or the work is performed according to written specifications and a written safe work procedure certified by an engineer, following consultation with the committee or representative, if any. [N.S. Reg. 44/99, s.188]
• No person comes closer to the working face than 1.3 times the height of the working face unless the working face is sloped at its angle of response, the working face is benched to limit the vertical height of the working face to not more than 1.2 metres, and the grade above the horizontal portion does not exceed one unit of vertical rise for every equal unit of horizontal run; or the work is performed in accordance with written specifications and a written safe work procedure certified as adequate by an engineer, following consultation with the committee or representative, if any.[N.S. Reg. 44/99, s. 189].

Health and Safety hazards

Other hazards that are common at pits and quarries can be found on Nova SAFE, including:

• Blasting
• Confined spaces
• Conveyors
• Demolition
• Electrical Safety - general
• Emergency eyewash and showers
• Excavation and trenches
• Fall protection
• Fire extinguishers
• First aid
• Harassment and Violence
• Heat stress and cold stress
• Hoists and mobile equipment
• Hot work (welding)
• Lock out
• Noise
• Personal protective equipment
• Radiation (UV from sunlight and welding)
• Sanitation and accommodation
• Silica dust
• Tools, grinders, and wheels
• Vibration
• WHMIS

An employee must:

• Not enter a mine unless adequate warning procedures and warning signal codes are prominently displayed at a surface mine or quarry and easily accessible by all employees. [N.S. Reg. 89/2008, s. 67(2)]
• Wear high-visibility clothing at a surface mine in the vicinity of operating mobile equipment, as provided by the employer. [N.S. Reg. 44/99, s. 179]
• Not enter a workspace where there is the potential to be struck by an object dislodged by the equipment. [N.S. Reg. 44/99, s. 184(4)]
• Wear appropriate fall protection equipment and follow the site fall protection plan. [N.S. Reg. 52/2013, s. 21.2(1)(b)(ii)]
• Make sure that no material is removed where a person is present in a surface mine, as they could potentially be struck by an object dislodged by the equipment. [N.S. Reg. 44/99, s. 184(4)]
• Always be aware of and follow the company's written safe work practices and procedures.