Environmental compliance for construction sites
Your environmental obligations for construction sites including site waste management, environmental permits, dust control, and noise management.
Mining & Resources
Which quarrying and mining regulations apply to your business
Quarrying and mining stone, sand, gravel, clay, salt, peat and chemical minerals carries the Quarries Regulations 1999 quarry-safety regime, planning permission, environmental permits and — where you blast — explosives licensing, on top of the general workplace duties every employer shares. Start here to find which guides apply to you.
UK-wide
On this page
UK-wide
Related guides in Compliance & Legal
Structural works compliance checklist
Pre-start checklist for structural works covering demolition notices, asbestos surveys, temporary works design, excavation permits, LOLER examinations, and …
Film and TV production tax reliefs and regulation
How to access UK film and television tax reliefs, including Audio-Visual Expenditure Credit (AVEC) rates, BFI cultural test …
Clinical governance and quality improvement
Clinical governance framework for healthcare providers covering patient safety culture, clinical audit, incident investigation, duty of candour, complaints …
Excavation and foundation safety
HSE requirements for safe excavation and foundation work on construction sites. Covers trench support systems, edge protection, safe …
Operating a quarry or mine in this division — whether you extract stone, sand, gravel, clay, salt, peat or chemical minerals — is high-hazard work. The Quarries Regulations 1999 are the safety regime for surface workings; underground rock-salt mining falls under the Mines Regulations 2014. On top of the site-safety regime sit the general workplace duties, environmental permits and — where you blast — explosives licensing.
This guide gives you the picture before you start: which regimes apply, which regulators enforce them and where to go for the detail.
What you need to do
Work through the guides below in order. The spine covers running a safe quarry and employing people; the permits guide covers the consents you need before you start; and the checklist lets you confirm you have covered everything.
-
1
Set up and run a safe quarry or mine
The universal spine. Follow this for your health and safety duties, the Quarries Regulations 1999 quarry-safety regime, COSHH controls for respirable crystalline silica and dust, work equipment, manual handling, fire safety, employers' liability insurance, equality and data protection.
-
2
Get the permits and consents for quarrying and mining
The pre-operational gateways. Follow this for minerals planning permission, environmental permits for discharges and mineral processing, explosives licensing for blasting, and — where they bite — COMAH, habitats scrutiny for peat extraction and the Mines Regulations for underground salt.
-
3
Confirm you have covered everything
Finish with the quarrying and mining compliance checklist to confirm your obligations are met.
Your guides
- Set up and run a safe quarry or mine — the universal spine
- Get the permits and consents for quarrying and mining — the pre-operational gateways
- Quarrying and mining: compliance checklist — confirm you have covered everything
Official sources
Authoritative starting points for quarrying and mining regulation.