HC Deb 12 December 1962 vol 669 cc384-5
4. Mr. Boyden

asked the Minister of Labour what investigations his Department has made into fatigue as a cause of accidents amongst juvenile factory workers; and with what results.

Mr. Hare

There is no evidence to show that the hours worked by young people in this country cause excessive fatigue such as would increase the risk of accidents. The most effective way of reducing such accidents is better training and supervision.

Mr. Boyden

Has the right hon. Gentleman any figures of the number of juvenile accidents in the last hour of work compared with the earlier hours of work? Has he operational research statisticians studying the problem? Surely he will remember that during the war operational research techniques brought about very considerable reductions in aircraft accidents and very much improved the training of aircrew. Could not the same sort of thing be applied here?

Mr. Hare

The hon. Gentleman has expressed interest in this matter before. It is a point that I have looked into very carefully. There is a great deal of medical research going on into this matter throughout the world, and the Medical Research Council has gone into the general problem of industrial fatigue. However, as I said in my Answer to the hon. Gentleman, I do not think that his fears can be substantiated by any evidence that has been made available to me as a result of this research.

Mr. Boyden

Has the right hon. Gentleman consulted the T.U.C. about this? Its members have strong feelings about it.

Mr. Hare

I have consulted the medical authorities about it.

Mr. Bence

Will the right hon. Gentleman consider this seriously? Industrial fatigue very often leads to frustration and to inefficiency in production, and these two factors together constitute one of the main causes of bad relationships in many plants.

Mr. Hare

I have made inquiries into this, but I have received no evidence that accidents are primarily caused in the way suggested by the two hon. Members opposite. The experience we have suggests that accidents are due chiefly to lack of proper training and supervision and lack of experience.