A tip or a tailings lagoon fails slowly, then all at once. The routine inspection exists to catch the slow part: the seepage that was not there last week, the crack opening across the crest, the lagoon creeping up towards its freeboard. None of that is a computer's judgement. It is the operator's eyes and the appointed geotechnical specialist's assessment. The record's job is simply to make sure what was seen is not lost. This is general information, not geotechnical or legal advice.
Guide · Mining
Tip and tailings inspection reports for the UK.
How routine tip and tailings lagoon inspections work under the quarries regime, why the appointed geotechnical specialist still carries the assessment, and how to capture the operator's inspection as clean, dated evidence on WhatsApp.
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The point
Software does not assess tip stability.
The appointed geotechnical specialist does. Software makes the routine inspection easier to record on the tip, harder to miss a seepage or a crack, and faster to pass to the specialist. A good tool means the visible-condition record is dated, located and photographed, not remembered later.
What gets watched
Three things a tip inspection looks for.
Movement
Cracks and slumping
Tension cracks, slumping, bulging of the toe or any sign of ground movement on the tip face, recorded with a located photo.
WaterSeepage and lagoon level
Seepage, ponding, the freeboard and level of a tailings lagoon, and the state of the decant and drainage.
ConditionErosion and surface
Erosion gullies, surface condition, vegetation and any tipping that departs from the approved geometry.
The division of labour
The operator watches; the specialist assesses.
Routine inspection is the operator's eyes on the tip between the appointed geotechnical specialist's periodic assessments. The value of the routine record is that it is prompt, dated and photographed, so a change the specialist needs to see does not sit unrecorded. Quickler captures that record; it does not do the geotechnics.
Run tip inspections on WhatsApp
No app install. No training.
Operators use the phone they already have. Text, voice note or photo. The report generates itself. Setup to first live workflow usually takes under a week.
The short version
- Tips and tailings lagoons at quarries carry statutory inspection and geotechnical assessment duties under the quarries regime.
- Routine inspections are the operator's regular watch; the geotechnical assessment is carried out by an appointed specialist.
- A routine inspection looks for movement (cracks, slumping), water (seepage, lagoon level and freeboard) and condition (erosion, surface).
- The value of the routine record is that it is prompt, dated, located and photographed, so a change reaches the specialist quickly.
- The software captures the inspection as evidence. It does not assess tip or lagoon stability, and it does not replace the appointed geotechnical specialist.
The point
What a tip inspection report is for
Under the quarries regime, an operator has duties around the stability of tips (spoil and overburden mounds) and tailings lagoons. Those duties include appointing a geotechnical specialist to assess stability and design, and carrying out routine inspections of the tips and lagoons between those assessments. The routine inspection is not a substitute for the geotechnical assessment; it is the regular watch that feeds it.
Software does not assess stability. The appointed geotechnical specialist does. What software does is make the routine inspection easier to record on the tip, harder to miss a seepage or a fresh crack, and faster to pass on. The record has to be prompt, dated, located and photographed. This is general information and not legal advice; check the current regulations and rely on your appointed specialist.
Movement
Cracks, slumping and toe bulging
The clearest warning of instability is movement. A routine inspection walks the crest, face and toe of the tip looking for tension cracks, slumping, bulging or heave at the toe, and any displacement of markers or benches. New or widening cracks matter more than old stable ones, so a dated photo of the same location over time is worth more than a single note.
Quickler records each observation against a location on the tip and holds the photo with it, timestamped. A change flagged by the operator reaches the office and, through them, the appointed specialist, rather than sitting on a paper sheet. The interpretation of what the movement means stays with the specialist.
Water
Seepage, lagoon level and freeboard
Water is the other driver of tip and tailings failure. On a tip, the inspection looks for seepage emerging on the face, ponding on benches, and blocked or damaged drainage. On a tailings lagoon, it looks at the level and freeboard against the design, the state of the decant structure and spillway, the condition of the embankment, and any seepage or damp patches downstream of the dam.
Quickler records the readings and observations the operator takes, with photos of seepage points and the lagoon level. It is not a monitoring instrument and does not set safe freeboard; those come from the design and the appointed specialist. Where automatic piezometer or level monitoring exists, the software records the reading, not the measurement.
The report
What the record has to show
A useful tip inspection report shows who inspected, when, and against which tip or lagoon; the items observed for movement, water and condition; any change since the last inspection; the photos tied to each observation; and any action raised, including referral to the appointed geotechnical specialist. Because a tip's history matters, the value compounds: a run of dated, located, photographed inspections is exactly what a specialist wants to see.
Quickler produces that report automatically from the operator's WhatsApp inspection, with every observation timestamped and every photo attached. The office sees the status on a dashboard and can pass a flagged change straight to the specialist.
Pricing
Per report, not per seat
Tip inspections are regular and often carried out by whoever is on shift, so per-seat pricing punishes you for spreading the duty around. Quickler charges per report instead, with unlimited users on every bundle.
Bundles run from Quickler 50 at 50 pounds a month for 50 reports, up to Quickler 500 at 500 pounds a month for 500 reports. Add every supervisor, operator and the appointed specialist as a viewer at no extra cost; you pay for the reports filed, not the people who could file them. Pricing is approximate and shifts, so check the current pricing page before you commit.
Questions, answered
What is a tip and tailings inspection report?
It is the record of a routine inspection of a quarry tip (a spoil or overburden mound) or a tailings lagoon, looking for signs of instability such as cracks, slumping, seepage and changes in lagoon level. It documents what was observed, where, when and by whom, with photos, and feeds the appointed geotechnical specialist's assessment. It is not itself a geotechnical stability assessment.
Who is responsible for tip and tailings stability at a quarry?
Under the quarries regime, the operator holds the duty and must appoint a geotechnical specialist to assess the stability and design of tips and tailings lagoons. Routine inspections are carried out by the operator between the specialist's assessments. Software and routine records support this but do not replace the appointed specialist. This is not legal advice; check the current regulations.
Does the software assess whether a tip is stable?
No. Quickler captures the routine inspection as dated, located, photographed evidence and produces the report. It does not assess tip or lagoon stability, does not set safe freeboard, and does not replace the appointed geotechnical specialist. The specialist carries the assessment; the software carries the record.
Can I run tip inspections over WhatsApp?
Yes. Quickler's tip and tailings workflow runs over the WhatsApp Business API. The operator receives each question in their existing WhatsApp chat, records movement, water and condition observations with photos, and the report generates automatically. A flagged change can be passed straight to the appointed specialist. No separate app or login is required.