HC Deb 11 March 1948 vol 448 cc1408-9
31. Colonel Ropner

asked the Minister of Fuel and Power whether he will state the number of accidents, fatal and nonfatal to persons employed below ground during 1947 and the causes of the accidents and the separate figures for West and South Yorkshire, respectively.

Mr. Gaitskell

As the answer contains a statistical table, I will, with the hon. and gallant Member's permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

NUMBER OF PERSONS KILLED AND INJURED UNDERGROUND IN MINES.* 1947 (Provisional).
Cause of Accident. South Yorkshire. West Yorkshire. Great Britain.
Killed. Seriously injured.† Injured and disabled for more than 3 days. Killed. Seriously injured. † Injured and disabled for more than 3 days. Killed. Seriously injured. † Injured and disabled for more than 3 days.
Explosions of firedamp or coal dust. 9 20 Not available 12 1 Not available. 168 79 Not available.
Falls of ground 28 134 12 70 233 961
Shaft accidents — 2 1 2 19 26
Haulage accidents 14 82 9 46 111 598
Miscellaneous accidents 3 50 1 18 51 518
Total underground 54 288 35 137 582 2,182
1946.
Explosions of firedamp or coal dust. — 1 1 — — — 24 46 43
Falls of ground 26 136 7,634 25 61 3,363 277 1,016 52,368
Shaft accidents — 4 19 1 1 19 11 24 231
Haulage accidents 14 68 4,713 5 34 2,077 136 524 36,491
Miscellaneous accidents 5 39 9,846 1 25 3,221 45 514 61,298
Total underground 45 248 22,218 32 121 8,680 493 2,124 150,431
* The figures relate to all mines as defined in the Coal Mines Act, 1911.
† By serious injuries is meant injuries which, because of their severity or the nature of the accident, are required (under the terms of Section So of the Coal Mines Act, 1911) to be reported to His Majesty's Divisional Inspectors of Mines at the time of their occurrence. In practically every case, these accidents involve a period of disablement of more than three clays and such accidents are included in the figures of persons "injured and disabled for more than three days."