§ Mr. Hendersonasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make available to the House the report of the working group chaired by an officer of the Health and Safety Executive on the hazards of ignition at the gas processing plants at St. Fergus, arising from the radio frequency transmissions from the Royal Naval wireless station at Crimond, and indicate what action is being taken as a result of the findings of the working group.
§ Mr. John GrantI am advised by the chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that the working group has now reported, and a copy of the report has been placed in the Library of the House.
The working group established that the low-frequency transmitters at RN Crimond could be operated without danger of incendive sparking at the St. Fergus site. In respect of the high-frequency transmitters, the working group considered the available technical information on this subject and itself undertook some tests and experimental work but was unable to arrive at a positive conclusion, principally because recent researches in this country and in 388W Germany had given widely differing results.
After considering the report of the working group, the Health and Safety Executive has now proposed to the Ministry of Defence and the three companies who have interests in the St. Fergus site, a more extensive series of tests designed to establish whether or not a hazard from RF-induced incendive sparks will be present as a result of the operation of the high-frequency transmitters at Crimond. These tests, which will be carried out under carefully controlled conditions, will not themselves give rise to any danger. The Health and Safety Executive is also making arrangements for further research into this subject and consideration is being given to the undertaking of a probability study. This new work is being put in hand as quickly as possible.