Taking a Tour of La Gigoulande Quarry

Having been a part of the Jersey community for 75 years its important to us to work closely within our community to raise awareness of what we do as a local business.

Mike Wrigley, Quarry Operations Manager, had the privilege of showing the forty primary school pupils the quarrying operations with two tours over two days which started with a talk about the importance of good health and safety practices. The children were shown how to use pedestrian walkways and talked through how potential hazards, such as plant machinery, are managed. The pupils then took part in an activity that involved identifying risks and hazards on site, where they identified a whopping 90% of the main risks.

Whilst walking around the site, they learned about the wide range of sustainable operating practices that Granite Products use to reduce their carbon footprint, such as reusing concrete by turning it into large concrete blocks or leaving it to harden in a recycling area so it can be crushed and turned into a recycled aggregate for use in various construction projects around Jersey like the recent development at La Horizon on the seafront.

It was also explained that the water used for dust suppression systems, concrete mixes, and site processes is taken from a lagoon and wedge pit that are supplied by rainwater captured on site, which helps to save around 30,000 litres of water per month.

Kate Hill who teaches Year 4 pupils at La Moye School and attended the visit, commented “The quarry provides a rich and varied resource for children and young people to learn about the quarrying industry and its part in construction on the island. The children learned a lot and really enjoyed themselves.”

Mike Wrigley, Quarry Operations Manager, said: “We have welcomed a number of other local schools in the past and it was a real pleasure to be able to show the children, teachers and helpers around the quarry and production facilities. The children were great and asked lots of questions, they were especially keen on the digger and dumper demonstration and liked receiving a small sample of Granite to take away as a memento".