Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Extractive Industries) Regulations, 1997
Statutory Instruments
Source: Statutory Instruments

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paragraphs: (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Extractive Industries) Regulations, 1997.
(2) These Regulations shall come into operation on the 21st day of November 1997.
2 Interpretation
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paragraphs: (1) In these Regulations—
"the Act" means the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, 1989 (No. 7 of 1989);
"ancillary surface installation" means any surface installation housing workstations which are essential to the operation of a surface or underground extractive industry;
"extractive Industry" means a surface or underground extractive industry or an extractive industry through drilling onshore or offshore;
"extractive Industry through drilling onshore" means any industry practising any of the following—
( a ) extraction of minerals through drilling by boreholes—
(i) on any lands within the State,
(ii) on any waters being the internal or inland waters of the State (including so much thereof as are extended by Section 5 of the Maritime Jurisdiction Act, 1959 ),
(iii) on any floating, fixed or other installation which is connected with land above the high water mark of the territorial seas of the State by a permanent structure providing access to the installation at all times and for all purposes,
( b ) prospection with a view to such extraction,
( c ) preparation of any such minerals so extracted for sale, other than the activity of processing those minerals;
"extractive industry through drilling offshore" means any industry practising any of the following—
( a ) extraction of minerals through drilling by boreholes,
( b ) prospection with a view to such extraction,
( c ) preparation of any such so extracted minerals for sale, other than the activity of processing those minerals,
within the waters to which the Safety, Health and Welfare (Offshore Installations) Act, 1987 (No. 18 of 1987), applies (other than the waters in all the areas of the sea to which the internal or inland waters of the State are extended by Section 5 of the Maritime Jurisdiction Act, 1959 )
but other than by means of any floating, fixed or other installation which is connected with land above the high water mark of the territorial seas of the State by a permanent structure providing access to the installation at all times and for all purposes:
"minerals" has the meaning assigned to it by
( a ) section 5 of the Mines and Quarries Act, 1965 (No. 7 of 1965), and
( b ) section 2 of the Safety, Health and Welfare (Offshore Installations) Act, 1987 (No. 18 of 1987);
and includes any other naturally occurring substance having a characteristic set of physical properties with a definite range of chemical composition and a distinct molecular structure;
"place of work" includes, in relation to an extractive industry, the whole area intended to house workstations to which employees have access for the purpose of their work relating to the immediate and ancillary activities and installations of, as appropriate
( a ) the surface or, as the case may be, underground extractive industry, including overburden dumps and other tips and any accommodation that is provided and, in the case of the underground extractive industry, any working area;
( b ) the extractive industry through drilling onshore including any accommodation that is provided; and
( c ) the extractive industry through drilling offshore, including any accommodation that is provided.
"prospecting" means the activity of searching for minerals or mineral deposits;
"the Signs Regulations" means the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Signs) Regulations, 1995 ( S.I. No. 132 of 1995 );
"the Principal Regulations" means the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations, 1993 ( S. I. No. 44 of 1993 );
"surface extractive industry" means any industry practising any of the following—
( a ) surface extraction of minerals,
( b ) prospecting with a view to such extraction,
and includes ancillary surface installations and the preparation of any such minerals so extracted for sale, other than the activities of any manufacturing process of those minerals;
"underground extractive industry" means any industry practising any of the following:
( a ) underground extraction of minerals,
( b ) prospecting with a view to such extraction, and includes ancillary surface installations and the preparation of any such minerals so extracted for sale, other than the activities of any manufacturing process of those materials;
"workstation" means any locations at a place of work in the extractive industries where work or work related activities are undertaken and includes a working place in the underground extractive industry.