§ 40. Lord H. CAVENDISH-BENTINCKasked the Home Secretary whether he is aware of the percentage of accidents reported by His Majesty's inspectors of factories in 1919 as due to the cleaning of machinery in motion; and whether, in view of the fact that this practice has for years been a prolific source of accidents, he will deal with it in the amending Factory and Workshop Bill by a Clause forbidding such cleaning for all workers?
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for the HOME DEPARTMENT (Mr. Shortt)The last year for which complete statistics are available is 1914. In that year there were 1,757 accidents due to cleaning machinery in motion, a little over 1 per cent, of the total number of accidents from all causes, and over 4 per cent, of the total number of machinery accidents. It would not, I am advised, be practicable to prohibit all cleaning of machinery in motion, but the question will be carefully considered in connection with the amending Bill. The bulk of the accidents from this cause occur to women and young persons, and the restrictions at present imposed in the case of these workers by Section 13 of the Factory and Workshop Act, 1901, are clearly inadequate.