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: Rg 1 (G.N. No. S 129/1974); Revised Edition 2001
- Current Version: Current version as at 27 Mar 2026
- Commencement Date: [Not provided in the extract]
- Key Themes: Licensing administration; quarry safety and operational controls; explosives and blasting safeguards; employee conduct and age limits; dust and environmental controls; access control and medical/fitness-related duties; offences and penalties
- Notable Provisions (from extract): Regulations 2–8 (licensing/fees/renewal/alterations); Regs 12–14, 17, 21–22, 25–34 (safety, explosives, blasting, thunderstorms, dust, and operational duties)
What Is This Legislation About?
The Sand and Granite Quarries Regulations are subsidiary rules made under Singapore’s Sand and Granite Quarries Act. In plain terms, they set out the practical “how-to” requirements for operating sand and granite quarries legally and safely. The Regulations focus heavily on operational safety, the control of hazards associated with excavation and blasting, and the protection of workers, nearby persons, and the surrounding environment.
The Regulations apply to quarry licensing and ongoing compliance. They require quarry operators (licensees) to obtain and renew licences, submit detailed plans, and follow directions issued by the Licensing Officer. They also impose specific duties on how quarry work must be conducted—particularly where explosives are used, where dust and fumes are generated, and where risks to employees and the public arise from unsafe access, machinery, or working conditions.
For practitioners, the Regulations are best understood as a compliance framework: they translate the Act’s licensing concept into detailed, enforceable obligations. Many provisions are drafted as “Every licensee shall ensure that …”, which is legally significant because it creates a direct duty on the licensee to ensure compliance by employees and persons in or about the quarry.
What Are the Key Provisions?
1) Licensing process, plans, and administrative controls (Regulations 2–8). The Regulations require applicants to submit a written application to the Licensing Officer in the form directed (Regulation 2). Where required, the applicant must provide further information. A key procedural requirement is the submission of a quarry plan: Regulation 3 mandates three copies of a plan with a comprehensive topographical survey and specific siting information (including pumps/crusher plant/mechanical apparatus for sand washing, and silting ponds and drainage arrangements). For sand quarries, the plan must show at least two silting ponds sized to match the capacity of the pumps or mechanical apparatus.
Once licensed, the licensee must comply with written directions from the Licensing Officer to ensure efficient and satisfactory operation (Regulation 4). The Regulations also contemplate financial security: Regulation 5 allows the Licensing Officer to require a security deposit, with amounts specified by quarry type and motive power (e.g., sand quarry deposits range from $200 to $1,000 depending on motive power; granite quarry deposit is $10,000). Licensing fees are set annually: $4,260 per annum for sand quarries and $10,800 per annum for granite quarries (Regulation 6).
Renewal requires a written application (Regulation 7) and a statement that the quarry remains unchanged from the approved plan or details of proposed changes. Importantly, Regulation 8 prohibits carrying out alterations to the quarry as represented in the approved plan unless prior approval is obtained. Unauthorised alterations are an offence, with a fine not exceeding $2,000 on conviction.
2) Compensation for damage and dispute resolution (Regulation 9). Regulation 9 is a key risk-allocation provision. It empowers the Licensing Officer, with assistance of 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 adversely 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. The Licensing Officer may utilise the security deposit to meet compensation. Failure to pay compensation directed by the Licensing Officer or determined by the committee is an offence with a fine not exceeding $500. The Regulation also preserves civil remedies: it expressly states that nothing prevents bringing a suit in court for damages/compensation, but it limits duplicative recovery—if damages/compensation have been recovered under Regulation 9, a suit for the same property damage is not maintainable.
3) Explosives and blasting controls for granite quarries (Regulations 12, 25–26, 28). The Regulations impose detailed controls where explosives are used. Regulation 12 requires that explosives used for charging holes are those approved by the Arms and Explosives Branch of the Singapore Police Force, and that initiation uses an approved combination of safety fuse, cord, detonating cord (as referenced in the extract), and detonators. It also requires at least one metre of fuse outside each hole, and if more than 20 holes are to be fixed at any one time, prior written approval of the Licensing Officer must be obtained. After blasting, material blown out must be carefully examined to ensure no cartridges or pieces remain unexploded.
Although the extract truncates the remainder of the text, the Regulations clearly contain a structured blasting regime. Regulation 25 addresses regulation of blasting operations where, in the Licensing Officer’s opinion, blasting may cause nuisance or damage to persons or property. Regulation 26 requires specific precautions before, during and after blasting. These provisions are designed to manage both direct physical risk (misfires, flying debris, unsafe handling) and indirect impacts (nuisance, damage, fumes/dust). Regulation 28 adds a weather-triggered safety requirement: on the approach of a thunderstorm, all persons must be withdrawn.
4) Worker safety, conduct, and minimum age (Regulations 13–14, 17, 21–22, 29–30, 34). The Regulations impose duties on the licensee to control the conduct of employees and other persons in or about the quarry. Regulation 13 (as listed in the metadata) concerns conduct of employees and other persons in or about a quarry, while Regulation 14 concerns safety appliances. Regulation 17 sets a minimum age: persons employed in a quarry must not be less than 18 years of age.
Operational safety extends to movement and access. Regulation 21 requires secure and safe travelling ways for employees to move to and from their work. Regulation 22 empowers the Licensing Officer to give notice requiring excavation to be worked in benches—an important control for slope stability and safe working faces. Regulation 29 prohibits persons under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs from being in the quarry in circumstances covered by the provision. Regulation 30 requires cleanliness after explosive handling: employees who handle explosives must wash their hands after handling.
5) Environmental and health controls: dust, silt, and medical-related duties (Regulations 11, 27, 32–33, 35–36). For sand quarries, Regulation 10 requires the licensee to maintain and desilt canals or streams caused by indiscriminate and unauthorised discharge of quarry waste. Regulation 11 requires silting ponds with overflow weirs set at half a metre below the top of the bund; silt from sand washing must flow into silting ponds and not into existing streams/canals/drains; and when a pond is full, another must be used with arrangements for removal of silt to a suitable approved place.
Dust and fumes are addressed through Regulation 27 (as listed) and a more direct engineering requirement in Regulation 32: every licensee of a quarry must install dust extraction plants to ensure dust is controlled to the extent required by the Regulations. Regulation 33 further requires the provision of dust masks and related protective measures. The Regulations also include health/fitness and record-keeping elements: Regulation 35 provides for X-ray and medical examination, and Regulation 36 requires a register of persons employed. These provisions are particularly relevant for occupational health compliance and for demonstrating that workers are medically fit for quarry work.
6) Access control and granite-specific duties (Regulations 34 and 34’s related extract; Regulation 34 in metadata; Regulation 34 in the list). The metadata indicates Regulation 34 as “Duties of licensees” and includes a granite-specific access restriction: “No licensee of a granite quarry shall allow a person to work therein unless such person …” (the extract truncates the remainder). In practice, such provisions typically require that persons meet training, medical fitness, or safety qualification requirements, or that they comply with specified safety conditions before being permitted to work.
How Is This Legislation Structured?
The Regulations are organised as a sequence of numbered regulations that move from licensing administration to operational safety and then to health/environmental controls and enforcement. The structure, based on the regulation list in the extract, is as follows:
- Regulations 1–8: Citation; application for licence; plan requirements; directions by Licensing Officer; security deposit; fees; renewal; alteration of quarry in approved plan.
- Regulations 9–11: Assessment of damage and compensation; clearing quarry waste; disposal of silt for sand quarries.
- Regulations 12–14: Explosives for granite quarries; conduct of employees and other persons; safety appliances.
- Regulations 15–20: Machinery safety; unauthorised entry; age limit; safety of surroundings of excavations; no overhang; notice to cease work.
- Regulations 21–24: Safe travelling ways; notice to work in benches; night work; no obstruction by plant.
- Regulations 25–28: Blasting operations and precautions; fumes/dust; thunderstorms withdrawal.
- Regulations 29–33: Prohibited persons; cleanliness; storage of explosives in magazines; dust extraction plants; dust masks and related measures.
- Regulations 34–37: Duties of licensees (including granite-specific work permission); X-ray and medical examination; register of persons employed; application of the Factories Act.
- Regulation 38: Offence and penalty.
Who Does This Legislation Apply To?
The Regulations apply primarily to licensees operating sand and granite quarries in Singapore. A “licensee” is the person or entity holding the quarry licence granted under the Sand and Granite Quarries Act and administered through the Licensing Officer.
They also indirectly apply to employees and other persons in or about a quarry because many duties are framed as obligations on the licensee to ensure that employees and persons comply with safety rules (for example, age limits, prohibited conduct, safe access, and restrictions on persons under the influence of intoxicating substances). In addition, the Regulations impose operational requirements that affect contractors and site personnel—particularly around blasting, explosives handling, dust control, and medical/record-keeping compliance.
Why Is This Legislation Important?
For practitioners advising quarry operators, the Regulations are significant because they create clear, enforceable compliance duties with direct consequences for breach. Many provisions are drafted as “Every licensee shall ensure that …”, which supports enforcement actions against the licensee even where the immediate wrongdoer is an employee or contractor. This structure is important for risk management, training, supervision, and documentation.
The Regulations also provide a structured approach to managing high-risk quarry activities. Blasting and explosives provisions are particularly detailed, reflecting the potential for serious harm from misfires, improper initiation systems, unsafe fuse lengths, and inadequate post-blast inspection. Weather-related withdrawal duties (thunderstorms) further show that safety obligations are not limited to equipment and procedures, but also include situational hazard management.
From an environmental and occupational health perspective, the dust extraction and dust mask requirements, together with silt pond and waste discharge controls, demonstrate that quarry compliance is not only about preventing physical injury. Medical examinations and registers of persons employed support occupational health oversight and provide evidence for regulators and in any dispute or prosecution.
Finally, the compensation mechanism in Regulation 9 is a practical tool for resolving harm claims arising from quarry operations. It provides an administrative assessment and a binding committee decision process, while still preserving the possibility of court action for other damages—subject to limits on duplicative recovery.
Related Legislation
- Sand and Granite Quarries Act (Chapter 284)
- Factories Act (as applied by Regulation 37 of the Regulations)
- Granite Quarries Act (listed in the provided metadata as related legislation)
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.