Set up and run a safe mining support service

Every mining support service shares the same workplace foundations. Whether you drill, provide well services, prepare sites or pump and drain for mining or petroleum operators, the duties in this guide apply to running your business and employing people. The worksite-specific regimes — the offshore safety-case duties and the Mines and Quarries Regulations — live in a separate guide.

Workplace health and safety is enforced by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in Great Britain and by the Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) in Northern Ireland. Work through the sections below in order.

A. Meet your general health and safety duty

The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 is the foundation. You must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of your employees and of anyone else affected by your work. For support services that means risk-assessing the work activity — drilling, handling heavy equipment, working with hazardous substances — providing safe systems of work, and training and supervising your people. HSE is the lead enforcing authority for extractive support work.

B. Control hazardous substances under COSHH

Mining support work exposes people to drilling fluids and muds, respirable crystalline silica from rock dust, hydrogen sulphide, cement and chemical additives. Assess exposure, apply controls and carry out health surveillance where required.

C. Control fire and explosion risk under DSEAR

Support work around petroleum and gas extraction handles flammable hydrocarbons and can create explosive atmospheres; mining support handles combustible dust and stored explosives. Assess fire and explosion risk, eliminate or reduce it, classify hazardous-area zones and provide suitable ATEX-compliant equipment.

D. Keep plant and equipment safe under PUWER

Drilling rigs, pumps, winches, lifting gear, well-service equipment and site plant must be suitable, maintained, inspected and used only by trained operators under PUWER. Read alongside LOLER 1998 for lifting equipment.

E. Manage manual handling risks

Avoid, assess and reduce the risk of injury from manual handling — drill pipe and casing handling, valves, sampling and materials movement on rig floors and worksites.

F. Meet your fire safety duties

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies to your workplace premises — offices, depots, stores and non-process buildings. Fire and explosion risk at the actual worksite is regulated primarily through DSEAR and the offshore and mining safety regimes. In Scotland the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 applies; in Northern Ireland the Fire and Rescue Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006.

G. Report incidents under RIDDOR

You must report specified work-related deaths, injuries, occupational diseases and dangerous occurrences to HSE under RIDDOR. Extractive support work has additional reportable dangerous occurrences — for example well-control incidents and shaft or escape-route events — under the RIDDOR schedules.

H. Hold employers' liability insurance

You must hold at least £5 million of employers' liability insurance once you employ anyone. Display the certificate or make it available electronically.

I. Meet your equality duties

The Equality Act 2010 protects people from discrimination, harassment and victimisation across nine protected characteristics. This applies to recruitment and the workforce. In Northern Ireland, separate equality legislation is enforced by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.

J. Handle personal data lawfully

If you process personal data — staff records, contractor details, site visitors — you must comply with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 and pay the ICO data protection fee unless you are specifically exempt.

What to do next

With the workplace spine in place, meet your worksite-specific duties from the worksite compliance guide, then confirm the whole picture with the compliance checklist. Start from the router if you are not sure which guides apply to you.