Statute Details
- Title: Sand and Granite Quarries Regulations
- Act Code: SGQA1970-RG1
- Legislative Type: Subsidiary legislation (SL)
- Authorising Act: Sand and Granite Quarries Act (Chapter 284, Section 24)
- Citation: Sand and Granite Quarries Regulations (Rg 1)
- Gazette / Revised Edition Reference: G.N. No. S 129/1974; Revised Edition 2001 (31 January 2001)
- Status: Current version as at 27 Mar 2026
- Commencement Date: Not stated in the provided extract
- Key Provisions (from metadata): Regulations 6, 12–14, 17, 21–22, 25–34 (including blasting, safety, age limits, dust control, and duties of licensees)
What Is This Legislation About?
The Sand and Granite Quarries Regulations are subsidiary rules made under the Sand and Granite Quarries Act to regulate how sand and granite quarrying is carried out in Singapore. In practical terms, the Regulations set out the licensing framework and impose detailed operational, safety, environmental, and workforce requirements on quarry licensees and the people they employ.
Quarrying activities can create risks that are both physical (e.g., excavation hazards, machinery dangers, blasting risks, dust and fumes) and external (e.g., damage to neighbouring land, interference with streams and drains, nuisance to surrounding areas). The Regulations therefore focus heavily on preventing harm before it occurs—through planning requirements, safety appliances, controlled blasting procedures, secure storage of explosives, and emergency responses (such as thunderstorm withdrawal).
The scope is primarily directed at licensed quarry operations. Once a quarry is licensed, the Regulations govern ongoing compliance: fees and renewals, permitted changes to the approved plan, compensation mechanisms for damage, and a broad set of “every licensee shall ensure” duties relating to employee conduct, safety measures, and environmental controls (notably silt and dust management).
What Are the Key Provisions?
Licensing administration: applications, plans, and directions. Regulations 2 to 4 establish the administrative process. An applicant must submit a written application to the Licensing Officer (Regulation 2) and, where required, provide further information. The application must be accompanied by three copies of a detailed plan (Regulation 3), including a comprehensive topographical survey and the siting of pumps/crusher plant and silting ponds, as well as drainage arrangements. Once licensed, the licensee must comply with written directions from the Licensing Officer to ensure efficient and satisfactory operation and must amend the plan copies within the time specified (Regulation 4).
Financial obligations: security deposits and licence fees. Regulation 5 allows the Licensing Officer to require a security deposit. The amount depends on quarry type and motive power: for sand quarries, the deposit ranges from $200 (no motive power) to $1,000 (motive power above 15 kW), while for granite quarries it is $10,000. Regulation 6 sets annual fees: $4,260 per annum for sand quarries and $10,800 per annum for granite quarries. These fees and deposits are central to compliance and enforcement—particularly because the security deposit can be used to satisfy compensation directions (see Regulation 9).
Renewals and changes to the approved plan. Regulation 7 requires renewal applications to be submitted in writing. The renewal application must be accompanied by either (a) a statement that the quarry remains unchanged from the original approved particulars, or (b) particulars of proposed changes. Regulation 8 then restricts alterations: a licensee must apply in writing to the Licensing Officer with two copies of a plan indicating proposed alterations, and must not carry out work to effect changes without prior approval. Unauthorised alterations are an offence, punishable by a fine not exceeding $2,000.
Compensation for damage and dispute resolution. Regulation 9 is a key risk-allocation provision. It empowers the Licensing Officer, with assistance from public officers, to assess damage or interference caused directly or indirectly to adjoining/surrounding land or property (including loss of livestock/poultry) or to normal agricultural pursuits, attributable to quarry operations. The Licensing Officer may direct the licensee to compensate affected persons. If there is a dispute about the question or amount of compensation, it is referred to a committee of three persons appointed by the Minister; the committee’s decision is final and binding. Importantly for practitioners, Regulation 9 also provides enforcement mechanics: the Licensing Officer may utilise the security deposit to meet compensation payments, and failure to pay compensation can lead to an offence and a fine not exceeding $500. The regulation also preserves the right to bring court proceedings for damages/compensation, while preventing double recovery in certain circumstances.
Explosives and blasting controls (granite quarries). The Regulations contain extensive blasting-related duties, reflecting the heightened hazards of granite quarrying. Regulation 12 requires that explosives used for charging holes be those approved by the Arms and Explosives Branch of the Singapore Police Force, and that initiation be by an approved combination of safety fuse, cord, detonating cordtex, and detonators. It also imposes a minimum safety requirement: at least one metre of fuse must be outside each hole. Where more than 20 holes are fixed at any one time, prior written approval of the Licensing Officer is required. Further, Regulation 12 requires careful examination of all material blown down after blasting to ensure no cartridges or pieces remain unexploded—an important “post-event” safety duty.
Safety of employees and persons in or about the quarry. The Regulations impose workforce and conduct requirements. Regulation 13 (as indicated in the metadata) requires that employees or other persons in or about a quarry be properly instructed and/or comply with safety requirements (the extract is truncated, but the structure is clear: “Every licensee shall ensure that all employees or other persons in or about a quarry including…”). Regulation 14 focuses on safety appliances, while Regulation 17 sets an age limit: persons employed in a quarry must not be less than 18 years of age. Practically, this is a compliance checkpoint for HR and operational managers, and it may affect staffing, subcontracting arrangements, and the use of casual labour.
Safe access and operational safety measures. Regulation 21 requires secure and safe travelling ways for employees to move to and from their work areas. Regulation 22 empowers the Licensing Officer to give notice requiring excavation to be worked in benches—a method intended to manage stability and reduce risks of uncontrolled face failure. Regulation 23 addresses night work (not fully reproduced in the extract), and Regulation 24 prohibits obstruction by plant and similar hazards.
Blasting nuisance, thunderstorm withdrawal, and prohibited persons. The metadata highlights Regulations 25 to 30 as central to blasting and immediate safety. Regulation 25 addresses situations where blasting may cause nuisance or damage to neighbouring property or persons; Regulation 26 requires specific precautions before, during, and after blasting. Regulation 28 mandates that on the approach of a thunderstorm, all persons must be withdrawn—an emergency response requirement that is both operationally significant and potentially evidentiary in enforcement. Regulation 29 prohibits persons under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs from conducting quarry work. Regulation 30 requires cleanliness practices for explosive handlers: employees who handle explosives must wash their hands after handling.
Dust and silt management. Environmental control is a major theme. For sand quarries, Regulations 10 and 11 address waste and silt. Regulation 10 requires maintenance and desilting of canals/streams when directed by the Licensing Officer to prevent harm caused by indiscriminate and unauthorised discharge of quarry waste. Regulation 11 requires silting ponds to have permanent overflow weirs set at a specified level, mandates that silt from sand washing operations flows into silting ponds rather than into existing streams/canals/drains, and requires switching to another silting pond when one is full, with arrangements for removal to an approved place.
For dust control, Regulations 32 and 33 (as indicated in the metadata) require the installation of dust extraction plants and the provision of dust masks or equivalent protective measures. Regulation 34 (also indicated) sets out further duties of licensees, likely including ongoing compliance and maintenance of safety systems. Regulation 27 (fumes, dust, etc.) and Regulation 33 complement these provisions by addressing exposure and nuisance risks.
Explosives storage and medical/health-related controls. Regulation 31 addresses storage of explosives in magazines and imposes quantity-based requirements (the metadata indicates that if quantities exceed specified amounts, the licensee must provide additional safeguards). Regulation 35 provides for X-ray and medical examination, and Regulation 36 requires a register of persons employed. Regulation 37 states that the Factories Act applies in certain respects, integrating general workplace safety law with quarry-specific rules. Finally, Regulation 38 sets out offences and penalties.
How Is This Legislation Structured?
The Regulations are structured as a sequence of operational and compliance rules, beginning with licensing mechanics and moving through quarry planning, ongoing directions, financial security, and then into substantive safety and environmental controls. The numbering (Regulations 1 to 38) reflects a practical workflow: application and plan approval (Regulations 2–4), financial requirements (Regulations 5–7), permitted alterations (Regulation 8), damage assessment and compensation (Regulation 9), waste and silt management (Regulations 10–11), explosives and blasting (Regulations 12 and 25–30, plus related storage provisions), workforce and safety duties (Regulations 13–22 and 28–30), dust control (Regulations 32–33), and administrative/health compliance (Regulations 35–37), concluding with offences and penalties (Regulation 38).
Who Does This Legislation Apply To?
The Regulations apply primarily to licensees of sand and granite quarries and, by extension, to the employees and other persons working in or about quarry sites. Many duties are framed as “Every licensee shall ensure that…”, meaning the legal responsibility rests with the licensee even where operational tasks are performed by employees, contractors, or other persons under the licensee’s control.
Practically, this affects corporate compliance: the licensee must ensure that safety systems are implemented, that only eligible persons (e.g., those aged at least 18) are employed, that blasting is conducted with approved explosives and procedures, that dust and silt controls are installed and maintained, and that prohibited conduct (e.g., working under the influence) does not occur. The Regulations also apply to applicants and persons seeking renewal or alteration approval, because licensing conditions and approved plans form the baseline for compliance.
Why Is This Legislation Important?
For practitioners, the Regulations are important because they translate the general licensing concept in the Sand and Granite Quarries Act into specific, enforceable operational duties. Many provisions are not merely aspirational; they are drafted as mandatory “shall ensure” obligations, creating clear compliance benchmarks for site management, safety officers, and corporate governance.
From an enforcement perspective, the Regulations provide multiple tools: offence provisions for unauthorised alterations and failure to pay compensation, the ability to direct compensation and utilise security deposits, and emergency and safety requirements that can be assessed after incidents (e.g., thunderstorm withdrawal and post-blasting unexploded cartridge checks). For risk management, these rules also create a defensible compliance record: approved plans, documented directions from the Licensing Officer, maintenance logs for dust extraction and silting ponds, and training/age verification records for employees.
Finally, the Regulations matter because quarrying impacts both the immediate workforce and the surrounding community and environment. Dust, fumes, silt discharge, blasting nuisance, and damage to neighbouring property are all addressed through targeted controls. A lawyer advising a quarry operator will typically focus on ensuring that operational practices align with the approved plan and the detailed safety and environmental requirements—because non-compliance can lead to regulatory action, criminal liability, and financial exposure through compensation mechanisms.
Related Legislation
- Sand and Granite Quarries Act (Chapter 284)
- Factories Act (referred to in Regulation 37)
- Arms and Explosives Branch approval framework (approval requirement referenced in Regulation 12)
Source Documents
This article provides an overview of the Sand and Granite Quarries Regulations for legal research and educational purposes. It does not constitute legal advice. Readers should consult the official text for authoritative provisions.