EXPLOSIONS. (Hansard, 23 February 1937)

§ 5. Mr. Tinker
asked the Secretary for Mines the number of explosions in coal mines during the last 10 years where loss of life has taken place; and whether he will give separate figures for the day shift, afternoon shift, and night shift?

§ Captain Crookshank
During the last 10 years there have been 113 explosions in coal mines involving loss of one or more lives. Of these 39 took place on the day shift, 29 on the afternoon shift, 41 on the night shift and four between shifts.

§ Mr. Tinker
According to the figures, the greater number of explosions have taken place on the night shift. Will the hon. and gallant Member press upon his inspectors to make more inspections on the night turn, because in our opinion the regulations are more lax on the night turn than at other times?

§ Captain Crookshank
That observation is a matter of opinion, but the House knows that the inspectors are all the time making more and more inspections on other than the day shifts.

§ Mr. Hardie
Why should anyone speaking for the Mines Department say that such a question is a matter of opinion, when it is a question of the measurement of the air that passes?

§ 10. Mr. T. Williams
asked the Secretary for Mines how 4 many explosions occurred in the coal mines of Great Britain involving the loss of more than one life for the 15 years ended 1920, giving similar figures for the last 15 years?

§ Captain Crookshank
The figures are 87 and 91 respectively.

§ Mr. Williams
Can the Secretary for Mines say why it is that, with all the precautions that are taken, there are more explosions now than there were 15 years ago? Can he tell us what deductions his Department has reached about the increase in the number of explosions?

§ Captain Crookshank
I do not think this is the time for making deductions; it is the time for answering the questions on the Paper, but one deduction which does appear is that while the numbers of explosions involving loss of life are 87 and 91 respectively, the numbers of persons killed are 1,755 and 880, which shows that there has been a drop in the number of fatalities.