International safety experts have been called in to stem the increasing number of deaths in Ireland's quarries.
The team - drawn from three continents - have been working out a best practice blueprint for the industry to prevent further fatalities.
Tom Beegan, HSA
Some seven people were killed in Ireland's quarries since last year, including two deaths this year already.
In response, the Health and Safety Authority and its counterpart across the border, the Health and Safety Executive of Northern Ireland, called in the so-called Atlantic Alliance.
The group was established in 2004 as a trans-Atlantic forum for safety experts in the US and Britain, and now includes Ireland, Germany and Australia.
The talks in Dundalk, County Louth, come just one week after two Irish firms were handed down fines totalling €150,000 for safety breaches at a quarry just miles from where the experts have gathered.
"This conference is very much about prevention, and our efforts to prevent the dreadful loss of life and livelihood which so bedevils this industry," said Tom Beegan, Chief Executive Officer of the HSA, at the opening session.
"I believe that if we identify common problems, common issues and work together in striving to solve them we can achieve much more and hopefully in a much shorter time".
PA
