I was very lucky to be able to visit Greece in April with a client to see the factory of a marble plant.
I was able to see the blocks of marble and then some that had been prepared and ready for sale.
The equipment and plant within the warehouse were very big, bulky and old and to see it all in action was quite spectacular.
The main health and safety concerns are manual handling and the silica dust that is associated with the cutting of the blocks. The machinery is huge and needs to be well maintained. Training is also required to be carried out.
Here are a couple of pictures:
The clients that were on this trip were selecting the stone for their client’s house in London. The stone that they were selecting was called Volakas.
As you are able to see there are many different shades with different colours and veins etc very rarely do you get the same piece, so for this client it was so important they selected their own slabs for the house.
The selected slabs will be transported back to the UK to my client’s factory and cut to size for delivery onto site at the beginning of June. The slabs are going to be used in many of the rooms in the home. There will also be many other stone selected for the different rooms and areas.
When they arrive on site in London, I will then need to ensure all the access is clear for safe delivery. Each slab can weigh as much as 1 ton!!
Site inductions will have been caried out by then and I will be attending site every fortnight to ensure my clients are working safely and the site is compliant and safe for them to work in. There will be many trades working on site, and I MUST ensure that my team are working well, compliant and safe. They also need to have the correct welfare to be working on site this includes water, heat, dry, rest areas, toilets and catering facilities.
I will be producing a report for my client with any safety concerns. I will also be carrying out fortnightly toolbox talk training sessions.
This is another reason why I love what I do and seeing the stages makes the risk assessments, training and documentation easier and more specific for my clients.