Lifting & Haulage for the UK's mining & quarrying sector.
Shaft equipment, conveyor drive units and headgear components don’t move like standard plant kit, and most mine sites don’t get a second attempt at a lift. Access is often restricted, programmes run for years rather than weeks, and the site doesn’t stop just because a crane’s arrived. Buzzard brings the crane hire, contract lifting and haulage together as one booking, coordinated before the crane’s ordered rather than worked out after it turns up.
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The operating environment.
A mine site doesn’t behave like a standard industrial plot, and a lift plan that ignores that won’t survive first contact with it. Ground conditions shift as extraction moves, haul roads carry heavy plant on tight schedules, and access can mean travelling miles of unmade track before the crane reaches the pad. Sites often sit in remote or exposed locations, working to shift patterns rather than a standard day, alongside processing plant and stockpiles that can’t be moved out of the way. Buzzard builds the plan around the ground as it actually is.
Shaft-top and headgear work
A shaft collar isn’t a plant deck. Working at height around an open shaft with headgear overhead changes the rigging plan before capacity even comes into it.
Restricted, remote-site access
Long private roads. Weight limits on the approach. Not much room to turn a low-loader once you’re there. We survey the route before we quote, not after.
Infrastructure that doesn't stop
Conveyors and materials handling plant on an active mine often run continuously, so a lift nearby has to fit around production rather than through it.
Programmes measured in years
Mine developments run for years, not weeks. A single crane booking doesn’t cover that, so we plan for continuity across a programme instead of treating each visit as a one-off.
Working to the mine's own regime
Every mine runs its own permit and induction system on top of LOLER, and we work to whichever one is already running rather than asking the site to adapt to ours.
Compliance that fits the site, not the other way round.
LOLER 1998 governs every lift we do, wherever it is. On working mine sites we also operate within the Mines Regulations 2014, take instruction from the site’s own safety team, and file RAMS and lift plans in whatever format they already use. We adapt to the site, not the other way round.
Typical lifts we handle.
Six kinds of lift come up again and again across mine sites. Each one brings its own mix of ground conditions, access and haul road logistics, and each always demands a plan built around a site that’s still moving. Get the ground wrong, and the lift stalls before it starts.
01
Shaft equipment
Winders, cages and shaft-top plant, lifted and positioned around an open shaft where there’s no room for a re-attempt.
02
Headgear components
Structural sections and mechanical plant for headgear installation, replacement or refurbishment, worked out with the site’s own engineers before anything moves.
03
Conveyor sections and drive units
New runs, drive station replacements and belt structure lifted into place around infrastructure that’s often still running nearby.
04
Underground plant handling
Moving plant and equipment on and off site for maintenance, overhaul or replacement, sized and rigged for the access it actually has to travel through.
05
Materials handling facility installation
Structural steel, hoppers and handling equipment for new or upgraded materials handling facilities on site.
06
Mineral processing and screening plant
Vessels, screens and structural sections for on-site processing plant, installed to a lift plan built around the actual component, not a generic one.
Our services on a mining or quarrying site.
Six services, coordinated as one operation rather than six separate bookings. One project manager, one programme and one point of contact carry the work from planning through to completion, so nothing is lost between haul roads, changing ground conditions and shift patterns. From crane hire and contract lifting to specialist haulage across unmade or remote terrain, the same team always plans and delivers every stage, whatever the mix of lifting or transport the site requires.
Contract Lifting
A full lift plan and Appointed Person cover for shaft, headgear and other complex mine-site lifts.
Crane Hire
Mobile crane capacity sized for the component and the access, not just the nearest crane available.
HIAB Hire
ALLMI-trained HIAB operators for materials moving on and off a site where the access road is part of the job.
Haulage
Abnormal load haulage for oversized plant and components, with the route survey done and planned before the vehicle’s booked.
Specialist Personnel Supply
Appointed Persons, lift supervisors, riggers and slinger/signallers who already know how a working mine site runs.
Plant & Equipment Hire
Crane mats and rigging equipment sized for restricted or uneven ground, where standard bearing pressure figures don’t apply.
Mining & Quarrying FAQ's.
Can you lift shaft and headgear equipment safely?
Yes. Working at height around an open shaft changes the rigging plan before capacity is even worked out. Send us the shaft and headgear drawings and we’ll come back with a method and a lift plan together, not a quote on its own.
Do you work on sites where the conveyor or handling plant can't stop?
Yes. Where infrastructure runs continuously, we plan the lift around the production schedule rather than asking the site to pause for us, agreeing timing with the mine’s own planning team before the crane’s booked.
Can you support a mine development programme that runs for years, not weeks?
Yes. A single crane booking doesn’t cover a multi-year programme, so we build continuity into it: the same crew and the same Appointed Person coming back, rather than starting from scratch on every visit.
How do you handle access on a remote or restricted mine site?
We survey the route before quoting, checking weight limits, turning space and any restrictions on the approach road. That’s what tells us which vehicle and crane configuration will actually get the job there.
Do you work to the mine's own safety and permit system?
Yes. LOLER 1998 governs every lift regardless of site, and on working mines we also operate within the Mines Regulations 2014 and the site’s own induction and permit system. We adapt to the site, not the other way round.
Can you handle mineral processing and screening plant, not just underground equipment?
Yes. Processing and screening plant around a mine site needs the same planning as underground equipment: checked drawings, a proper lift plan and rigging sized to the actual component. Send us the specification before you book a crane.
Running a lift on a working mine site? Let's plan it around the shift pattern, not against it.
One call gets you a crane, a lift plan and a haulage booking, all coordinated by the same team, before anything’s booked in.