§ Sir L. Plummerasked the Minister of Labour what steps he proposes to take to safeguard the lives of building workers, especially spidermen; and when he proposes to introduce legislation designed to ensure the safety of all building workers.
§ Mr. WoodThe Factories Acts cover building operations and work of engineering construction as defined in Section 152 of the Act of 1937 to the extent indicated in Sections 107 and 108 of that Act. My right hon. Friend is considering whether to make regulations, under the powers given him by Section 152, to extend the definition of work of engineering construction in that Section to include more of the types of work on which spidermen are engaged.
Regulations have been made under Section 60 of the Act of 1937 to safeguard workers engaged in building operations, namely, the Building (Safety, Health and Welfare) Regulations, 1948, and the amending regulations of 1952 and 1958. Regulations were also made under that Section earlier this year to safeguard workers employed on work of engineering construction and working in compressed air. My right hon. Friend hopes soon to make proposals for further regulations relating to diving operations carried out on work of engineering construction. The question of making regulations relating to other aspects of work of engineering construction is under active consideration.
Following discussions at the Joint Advisory Committee on Safety and Health in the Building and Civil Engineering Industries, consideration is being given to the improvement of 203W standards of safety in these industries through the work of safety officers and other persons with responsibilities under the Building Regulations.
Also on the recommendation of the Joint Advisory Committee, close attention is being paid, in consultation with representatives of the industries and the Ministry of Education, to ways and means to improve safety training in these industries. In particular my Department is co-operating with the London Building arid Engineering Contractors Accident Prevention Group which is arranging a series of safety training courses for builders' and contractors' foremen at the Government Training Centre. Enfield, the first of which will start on 8th December this year.