§ Mr. WelshTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how often open-cast mining sites in Scotland were inspected by the Health and Safety Executive in the last three years; and what plans he has to increase the frequency of inspections in the coming year. [120791]
§ Mr. MeacherHealth and Safety Executive inspectors carry out routine preventative inspections of workplaces according to the hazards and risks of the workplace. With open-cast coal mines such inspections are normally made once per year. In addition an inspector may visit for other reasons, e.g. to investigate an accident or complaint.
As of 31 March 2000 there were 106 open-cast coal mines registered in Scotland of which 28 were operational. All the operational sites were inspected during 1999–2000. Over the last three years a total of 254 inspection contacts were recorded at open-cast sites in Scotland by inspectors. These included visits to non-operational sites to check their status.
HSE has no plans to change this inspection strategy.