§ Dr. Kingasked the Minister of Labour if he has considered the death from asphyxia of Terence Arthur Deacon at the South-Western Tar Distilleries, Totton, working under conditions where he should have been supplied with a respirator; and what steps he takes to enforce employers to take all reasonable precautions and supply all reasonable equipment to protect their workmen engaged in dangerous occupations.
§ Mr. IsaacsI understand that breathing apparatus was available but that in the case of the exceptional job which this man undertook on the occasion in question the extent of the risk was not appreciated, and he was not positively instructed to wear a mask, though the advisability of doing so had been mentioned to him earlier. My Department enforces the Factories Acts, but the law cannot ensure that employers always take all reasonable precautions.