ASSISTANCE IN THE CLEAVAGE AND GRADING OF STONE MATERIAL

Porphyry is a stone material of volcanic origin that is split into parallel planes for use as a semi-finished product. It is extremely hard wearing and, as a result, is frequently used for street furniture and in the home.

In the porphyry working process, stone is extracted using explosives before the material is split and graded. These latter two operations put workers at risk from MSDs; from having to work with the trunk bent and handling stone that typically weighs from 7-30kg. Throughout the working day, a worker may have to handle 200 hundredweight (200 x 50kg) of stone. The risks are higher because the work is carried out on uneven quarry ground and workers are exposed to the elements.