Mr. Mike OBrienTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will list the companies prosecuted since 1987 in the building and construction industry under health and safety legislation, where injuries or fatalities have resulted, by the size of the companies in terms of the number of employees employed in the building and construction industry.
§ Mr. McLoughlinThe information is not available in the form requested.
Mr. Mike OBrienTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what steps are being taken by the Government to reduce the number of deaths at the workplace in the building and construction industry.
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§ Mr. McLoughlinPrime responsibility for health and safety at workplaces, including those in the building and construction industry, rests with employers and others on site.
The Government and the Health and Safety Commission—HSC—recognise the need to promote long lasting changes in the construction industry. Indeed, the HSC was preparing proposals to improve the management of health and safety in the industry well before the European Commission began to develop its temporary or mobile construction sites directive. Following adoption of this directive in June of this year, the HSC published a major consultative document on proposed new Construction (Design and Management) Regulations and an approved code of practice, a copy of which is in the Library. The proposals affect everyone who can contribute to the improvement of health and safety standards on site and their coming into force at the end of next year should reduce significantly the numbers of deaths and injuries at the workplace in the industry.
The Construction (Head Protection) Regulations 1990 which require the wearing of suitable head protection at construction activities came into force on 30 March 1990 and have already resulted in a significant reduction in head injuries.
Health and Safety Executive inspectors continue to make visits to construction activities for a variety of purposes, including preventive inspection and the investigation of accidents, and take whatever action is necessary to ensure compliance with the relevant health and safety legislation. There is a programme of initiatives, most recently including the roofwork campaign.
Mr. Mike OBrienTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will list the number of prosecutions undertaken for breaches of the health and safety legislation in the building and construction industry for each year since 1970.
§ Mr. McLoughlinThe available information is provided in the following table. Analysis of prosecution action taken, by industrial sector, is not available for years prior to 1981.
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Prosecution action taken by HSEs factory and agricultural inspectorates for all breaches of health and safety legislation
occurring in the construction industry, 1981 to 1991–924
Year1 3Number of informations laid Number of convictions Average fine per conviction £ 1981 605 531 218 1982 856 734 219 1983 727 651 262 1984 669 590 345 1985 717 577 433 January to March 1986 158 128 436 1986–87 624 461 488 1987–88 759 654 471 1988–89 685 599 580 1989–90 781 658 762 1990–912 746 600 857 1991–924 2 738 601 1,042 1 1981–85 calendar years. 1986–87 onwards years commencing 1 April. 2 Figures for the years 1990–91 and 1991–924 include action taken by the quarries inspectorate. 3 Informations laid relate to single breaches of Health and Safety legislation. 4 Provisional.
Mr. Mike OBrienTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many workers in the building and construction industry have died while in the workplace(a) in 1987–88 and (b) 1991–92.
§ Mr. McLoughlinThe statistics requested are provided in the table.
Number of-fatalities occurring within the construction industry1 during the years 1987–88 and 1991–923
as reported to enforcement authorities
21987–88 1991–923 Employees 103 82 Self-employed 40 16 All workers 143 98 1 As defined by Standard Industrial Classifiction (SIC) division 5. 2 Under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1985. 3 Provisional.