Ireland’s quarrying industry enters 2026 with a new regulatory framework and the most coordinated enforcement campaign it has ever faced. The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Quarries) Regulations 2025, in force from 1 January 2026, modernise the compliance architecture for approximately 500 quarry operations. On 11 May 2026, the HSA and HSENI launched the first ever all-island concrete block making safety inspection campaign, targeting vehicle movements, unguarded machinery and pedestrian segregation.

The convergence of new regulations and an all-island campaign creates a constructive opportunity for Irish quarry operators and construction materials businesses. The Quarries Regulations 2025 have reduced administrative burden through online notification and a simplified legislative structure, while strengthening safeguards where they matter most. Three key priorities emerge: vehicle and pedestrian safety, machinery guarding, and risk assessment quality — all immediately inspectable and improvable.

The May 2026 campaign focuses on block making operations, where HSA and HSENI inspectors are assessing vehicle and pedestrian segregation, machinery guarding, maintenance safe systems of work, and the adequacy of risk assessments. HSENI Principal Inspector Brian Pryce noted at the launch that the risks from vehicle movements and unguarded machinery in block making are significant. The Irish Concrete Federation and Mineral Products Association NI are participating as industry partners, reinforcing the collaborative character of the initiative.

The Quarries Regulations 2025 represent the most significant update to Irish quarry safety law since 2008. Effective from 1 January 2026, they strengthen protections around explosives use, introduce a streamlined operator notification process with an online submission option, and enable operators to notify the HSA of temporary cessations. HSA CEO Mark Cullen described the regulations as a welcome step forward in ensuring quarrying is carried out to the highest safety standards while reducing the compliance burden.

Quarrying remains one of Ireland’s most hazardous working environments. Five fatalities were recorded in the Republic and three in Northern Ireland between 2021 and 2025 in quarrying and associated manufacturing. The HSA identifies vehicle operation, machinery incidents and falls from height as the leading causes of quarry accidents, characterising almost all as avoidable. EU-OSHA places the extractive industries among the highest-risk sectors in Europe, making structured risk management a regulatory and commercial imperative.

Three practical steps allow operators to build on momentum. First, review vehicle and pedestrian segregation at every site using HSA quarry guidance and the Regulations 2025 as the compliance baseline. Second, audit all mobile and fixed plant against guarding requirements, treating the block making campaign’s inspection criteria as a self-assessment checklist across the entire operation. Third, update safety statements and complete HSA notifications through the new online system under the revised regulatory structure.

The all-island campaign and the Quarries Regulations 2025 together signal a quarry safety system that is more coordinated and better equipped to protect workers in one of Ireland’s demanding industries. For operators and construction materials businesses, the message is affirming: the regulatory framework has been simplified to support compliance, and organisations that engage proactively will find it consistent with the operational standards their sector demands.

(The views expressed by the writer are his/her own and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of BusinessRiver.)