HC Deb 01 March 1961 vol 635 cc1561-2
1. Mr. Nabarro

asked the Minister of Labour, having regard to an increase of 5,400 factory accidents in 1959 over 1958, an increase of 11 per cent. or 14,000 accidents in the first nine months of 1960 over the corresponding period of 1959, and an increase of 14 per cent. or 72 fatal accidents in the same period, what steps he now proposes to take to remedy and reverse this adverse trend in industrial safety matters; and whether he will make a statement.

The Minister of Labour (Mr. John Hare)

Yes, Sir. Provisional figures now available show that in all premises covered by the Factories Act there were 190,000 reported accidents in 1960, of which 665 were fatal. Final conclusions about this serious increase over the previous year must await the report of the Chief Inspector of Factories for 1960, which will contain detailed analyses of accidents and comparisons with previous years, but meanwhile every effort is made to make people more safety conscious.

Mr. Nabarro

These are grave figures. Could my right hon. Friend say what is the loss in terms of national wealth and resources from this huge number of industrial accidents, and what is the aggregation of the man-days lost as a result of them?

Mr. Hare

It is difficult to give an accurate answer because estimates vary so. The best I can do is to give my hon. Friend the figures produced by the British Productivity Council. It estimates that industrial accidents are responsible for a loss of 19 million man-days and about £100 million in lost pro-. duction each year.

Mr. Prentice

Is it not significant that the 1959 Report of the Factory Inspectorate also showed that less than half the factories were visited by the Inspectorate during 1959? Does not this confirm what has often been said from this side of the House, that the Inspectorate should be much larger so that it can pay more frequent visits?

Mr. Hare

The Inspectorate has an important part to play, and it has been increased. But I am certain that it is the efforts of the employers and the trade unions,plus a generally increasing awareness by the public that it must become more safety-conscious, that will reduce accidents.