On Site Child Safety
safe as houses
Cement is the building material that goes into our houses,
roads, schools and hospitals. It is made at a cement works, using
stone from quarries. Cement keeps your house strong and safe and
that's just how we'd like to keep you.
In the long summer holidays, quarries and industry sites can
seem like fun places to play, but every year children are injured,
and even killed doing just that.
People who work in the cement industry have lots of training to
keep them safe and they also wear special gear. Look at the quarry
manager in our picture. He's wearing a helmet, boots and a
high-visibility jacket. The boy has no protection. If he goes into
a quarry or cement works, he could easily be injured.
Some of the places you could be hurt are:
- quarry lakes - these can be very deep and cold
- not at all like your local swimming pool.
- steep rock faces - if you play in a quarry you
could easily have a nasty fall or be hit by loose rocks. Maybe your
local sports centre has a place to climb.
- rough ground - some youngsters think a quarry
is a good place to ride their bikes or motor bikes. They aren't
aware of all the hidden hazards. Ask your local council where you
can ride safely.
- moving machinery - conveyor belts are very
dangerous if you try to ride on them. We also have lots of powerful
machinery to crush rocks and then heat them to make cement.
Our colleagues at the Quarry Products Association run a
successful campaign called Play Safe...Stay Safe to warn
children about playing in quarries. Why not click on the link below
and have a look around their website? Your teacher can order some
fun activity leaflets and a video or arrange a
safe visit for your class to a quarry.
To find out more about quarries, please visit http://www.virtualquarry.co.uk.
Here you can go on a tour, drive a truck to the virtual quarry or
even try turning a quarry into a nature reserve!