SOCOTEC UK & Ireland Celebrates Double Success
at the Ground Engineering Awards

The collaborative team of SOCOTEC, GEARS Ltd, Tarmac, and BAM Ground Engineering, received the two prestigious awards for their combined work on the Ravelrig Quarry blasting impact assessment, engagement, and mitigation project.

The partnership was recognised in the following categories:

• Technical Excellence Award – Assessment and mitigation of blasting effects to secure consent for the extension to Ravelrig Quarry

• Sustainability Award – Ravelrig Quarry blasting impact assessment, engagement and mitigation

Working across several Tarmac quarry sites, the team developed enhanced quarry blast models and management strategies. This demonstrated significant improvements over industry standards that had remained largely unchanged for several decade, reflecting a desire to improve the wider industry through the work.

Supported by specialist monitoring expertise from Instantel, the project enabled better prediction and management of blasting impacts, while using an evidence-led approach to strengthen community engagement and confidence through transparency.

Judges praised the project's innovative approach, highlighting the use of artificial intelligence to transform quarry blasting assessment, delivering substantial carbon reduction benefits while addressing longstanding community concerns. The team was also recognised for their knowledge sharing, including convening an industry conference to disseminate findings, influence national policy and establish a new benchmark for the UK quarrying sector.

Commenting on the achievement, the project team said:

“This is a fantastic recognition of what can be achieved through collaboration. Bringing together expertise from across GEARS, Tarmac, BAM Ground Engineering, SOCOTEC, Instantel and the wider project team has enabled us to develop and prove new approaches that deliver operational, environmental and social benefits. Having successfully demonstrated these improvements in practice, we are now looking forward to continuing the development and wider roll-out of the methodology across the industry.”

The awards recognise not only the technical innovation behind the project, but also the wider sustainability benefits, reflecting clear social, policy, and operational improvements and a shared commitment to continuous improvement and industry-wide learning.

The success marks a significant milestone for the partnership and reinforces SOCOTEC UK's commitment to supporting solutions that deliver measurable benefits for clients, communities and the environment.