Quarry worker: 6 jobs in 1
- Prospecting
- Operating
- Producing
- Shipping
- Marketing
- Redeveloping
PROSPECTING
Identifyng and carrying out an analysis of the deposit to maximize the extraction is one of the pillars of the quarry worker’s job.
- Land management: identification of the land and deposits.
- Carrying out studies and random samples to check very long-term trends.
- Geological knowledg of major accidents.
- Life history of the physical and chemical patterns of the geologic area
OPERATING
The discovery: before exploiting the stones, all waste rock must be removed (that is top soil, all kind of clays, coal schists, and waste mix). Once removed, this waste rock is disposed of to be used to build embankments or hills where thousands of trees will be planted. In 1994, a 30 years landscape plan was signed for the quarry area of Marquise (62). Nowadays, the Ferques quarry is located inside the Parc Naturel Régional des Caps et Marais d’Opale (two natural preservation areas).
The rock removal: in the Ferques quarry, the biggest open-air quarry in France on one single site and one of the biggest quarries in Europe, extraction of rocks involves blasting. Mining is a delicate operation that requires highly trained staff and tailor-made equipment. Night and day, drills make vertical holes in the rock in which the explosives will be placed. 2 to 3 blasts a day are needed to remove 35 000 tons per day. The team in charge with blasting is aslo responsible with the safety of blasting and its impact on the close environnement (noise, vibrations). All members of the team are CPT (Certificat de Préposé au Tir) certified and the engineer in charge, on top of that, is qualified by a badge “abattage à l’explosif” (blasting for rock removal) given by the Ecole des Mines in Alès.
PRODUCING
- Washing: getting rid of any clay.
- Crushing and grinding: reduce the grain siez (percentage of material extracted from the soil).
- Screening: sort the aggregates depending on their size and store it close to the permises.
SHIPPING
Quarries of CB Group use road, rail, waterway and maritime transport th ship its aggregates. Thanks to our facilities, our clients are guaranted of a sustainable and reliable delivery in full respect of the environnement.
MARKETING
Commercial offices and client services in each region are there to manage the orders and the clients’ needs as closely as possible.
REDEVELOPING
Once a deposit has been exploited, the quarry needs to return back to its original state. The UNICEM shows us the way to master the redevelopment. Bodies of water, wasteland, piles of waste rock or even embankments will be the natural habitat for some animal species.
