FAQ
How often does Sandy Point Quarry conduct blasts?
We only blast once per month, generally around mid-afternoon on a weekday, we never blast outside of 10am to 4pm and we certainly do not carry out blasting on the weekend & public holidays.
The next scheduled blast will always be displayed on our website one week prior to a scheduled blast and we notify the authorities, We also hang a red flag at the Sandy Point Community Centre & notify both the Sandy Point Residence Association & various Picnic Point residences. We never blast more than once in a day.
All our blast results are well below the stringent limits set by the EPA and actually are at about 20 per cent (or less) of the EPA’s allowable limits.
A quarry blast is low frequency and contained underground, which may cause more of a rumbling underfoot (if you are close enough to the blast point). Our blasts are not loud as they are below ground. If you hear a loud noise it is not quarry blasting. If you hear a loud blast or vibration outside of normal business hours or on weekends, it is not a quarry blast. If you hear a noise/blast two days in a row, it is not quarry blasting.
Why do I hear blasts outside of these hours?
Do you know that the Army base conducts routine drills with ammunitions which creates another type of blast. They have been doing this for more than 50 years and will continue to do so as part of our national defence and training exercises. Furthermore they do this at all hours and on every day of the week.
The difference between a quarry blast and a military blast, is that a military blast is high-frequency percussion and often accompanied by an audible explosion. Whereas a quarry blast is low frequency and contained underground, which may create more of a rumbling under foot (if you are close enough to the blast point).
How do I confirm if the Army is conducting blasts?
The Army can be contacted at the Holsworthy Base Range Control, on 02 8782 4372 , they will confirm whether any blasts/ explosions/ detonations exercises have taken place on their base.
Does blasting damage my home?
Production blasting at Sandy Point Quarry does not damage your home. Like every mining site we are governed by strict regulations and limits as part of our licence conditions. These limits, based on Australian Standards, are set to limit the impact on human comfort levels and in turn are set well below the levels that cause damage to buildings and infrastructure.
Each blast is carefully designed by our blasting contractor (Orica) who create a model to predict the impacts of ground vibration and air-blast overpressure (noise) each blast generates. Every blast is accurately monitored at the closest residents and results shared with the EPA as part of our licence conditions.
Last year Sandy Point Quarry only blasted 5 times( and at most once per month going forward as we have decided to make the blasts smaller but more frequent-say, once per month), with the average ground vibration well under half of what our limits are set to. Those booms and ground vibrations, particularly at night or on weekends and holidays, are as a result of the Defence force’s exercises at nearby Holsworthy Military Base.
Is the quarry allowed to operate at night and on the weekends?
Yes. Sandy Point Quarry’s Environmental Protection Licence permits its operation at night and on the weekends, however noise restrictions dictate different levels during different noise windows. Obviously, at night the permissible noise levels are even lower.
At present the quarry operates Monday to Friday and half day Saturday. Currently, no processing, production or blasting occurs outside of these periods.
I believe I can hear the quarry operating, is this normal?
Sandy Point Quarry has worked very hard since the business commenced operations to limit the impact on the surrounding community. Some of these measures, at the expense of Benedict, include the original construction and recent further raising of the boundary sound bund, utilizing dozer extraction where possible, as opposed to drill and blast and limiting the hours of operation.
Noise monitoring is regularly tested and reported to the EPA with the results displayed on this website. At times it may be theoretically possible to hear faint and distant noise of the quarry’s operations, however, the dominant noise in our area is overwhelmingly traffic noise generated on Heathcote Road and on Henry Lawson Drive.
Hence, periodic noise monitoring has proven consistence compliance within our licence limits and the Industrial Noise Policy for all businesses. Contributory noise factors need to be considered such as wind direction, strength and low cloud cover which can all amplify/carry noise.
Where can I find Sandy Point Quarry's monitoring results?
Sandy Point Quarry’s monitoring results are available on our main Benedict website. Please CLICK HERE to read the results.