§ Mr. FoulkesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will instruct the Health and Safety Executive to review the safety precautions for the use of isocyanate compounds; if he will instruct them to(a) review the use of isocyanate by Scottish Power employees in the depots in (i) Kilmarnock and (ii) Motherwell and (b) evaluate other recent experience and research; and if he will make a statement. [11927]
§ Sir Paul BeresfordControl of exposure to isocyanates is regulated by the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 1988. These regulations are kept under constant review by the Health and Safety Executive. The HSE also produces guidance on implementing these regulations with respect to isocyanates.
In 1993 the HSE investigated a report of occupational asthma in an employee of Scottish Power in Motherwell. As a result, controls by Scottish Power were improved. A review of those controls at both the Kilmarnock and Motherwell depots by the HSE is currently under way.
The HSE's enforcement activities and links to industry and trade unions ensure that any new evidence and research is identified and addressed for any regulatory implication.