§ Mr. Stonehouseasked the Secretary of State for Employment what measures have been taken to investigate the conditions at Messrs. Wheeler and Pearsall Ltd., Bloxwich, following the incident in which workmen were overcome by fumes from zinc waste at this factory.
§ Mr. Harold WalkerI am informed by the Chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that the factory of Wheeler and Pearsall Ltd. at which a number of employees were recently overcome by arsine gas is at Market Drayton, Shropshire and not Bloxwich.
The material from which the arsine was evolved was sent to Market Drayton 21W from the premises of ISC Alloys Ltd. at Bloxwich.
At Bloxwich the staff of the Health and Safety Executive, using a mobile laboratory, carried out exhaustive tests and found evidence of contaminated materials. Following advice from Her Majesty's Factory Inspectorate the company has taken precautions to remove any risk from arsine to both its own employees and people living in the neighbourhood.
Medical tests have been carried out on all employees at the factory. Evaluation of the results of these tests has not yet been completed but the present indications are that no employee has suffered any ill effects from arsine gas.