Last reviewed: 13 November 2026

Quarries and aggregate sites may have fuel bowsers, crushers, excavators, loading shovels and mobile plant working over a large area. A hydraulic hose failure away from the workshop is quite different from a small drip beneath a parked vehicle. Good spill planning accounts for both, especially where surface water or drainage channels run through the site.

Identify where fuel and hydraulic oil can escape

Look first at mobile refuelling, temporary fuel storage, hydraulic hoses, maintenance bays and the places where plant stands overnight. The ground may be unmade, sloping or wet; a leak that looks contained on a workshop floor can travel into stone, soil or a ditch on an active quarry face.

Provide safe transfer arrangements, inspect couplings and protect containers from vehicle impact. Keep drip trays beneath known low-volume stationary drips where practical, but repair a recurring leak rather than treating absorbent material as a permanent fix.

Choose the response to suit the location

For a small, identified and safely accessible oil release, oil-only absorbents and spill kits can provide useful first response. absorbent socks may help stop liquid reaching a track edge or gully. If fuel is escaping under pressure, a machine is unstable or there is a fire risk, isolate the area and use the site emergency arrangements rather than sending someone in with pads.

On remote parts of the site, the kit must be accessible to trained staff and large enough for a credible minor incident. Make sure everyone knows how to call for assistance, give their location and identify the route towards watercourses.

Keep run-off and waste under control

Map the surface-water system and known discharge points. Use drain covers where appropriate and safe, but remember that contaminated ground and large spills may need excavation, recovery and specialist clean-up. Do not wash oil into drains or soakaways.

  • Inspect bowser hoses, valves, mobile plant and spill stock routinely.
  • Record recurring leaks and near misses, not just major incidents.
  • Segregate contaminated absorbents and soil for waste classification.
  • Review the plan after changes to haul roads, working faces or drainage.

HSE provides quarry-specific health and safety guidance and the Quarries Regulations approved code of practice. For environmental controls in England, consult GOV.UK pollution prevention guidance for England.