§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many complaints concerning galvanising plants have been made to his Department during the last 10 years; and how many were investigated by the Factory Inspectorate.
§ Mr. Harold WalkerThe Chairman of the Health and Safety Commission informs me that the number of complaints concerning galvanising plans made to district and area offices of the Factory Inspectorate during the last five years is 27. Figures relating to the last 10 years are not currently available. All of the complaints were investigated.
§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for Employment what advice was given generally to firms concerned and to local authorities as a result of any investigations made by his Department with regard to possible health hazards from galvanising plants either to those working in the industry or to those living nearby.
§ Mr. Harold WalkerI am advised by the Chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that galvanising is a process of applying protective coatings of zinc to metal articles in order to reduce corrosion. Articles to be galvanised are cleaned by a combination of mechanical and chemical methods and are then dipped in a bath of molten zinc. Risks to employees arise from the acid and alkalis used for pre-treatment, from fluxes and from the molten zinc.
Companies carrying out the process are advised to maintain the various substances used at concentrations below the threshold limit values published in Technical Data Note No. 2 which is produced by the Health and Safety Executive. Such companies are also advised to maintain high standards of housekeeping, protective clothing and equipment and ventilation.
The process is so well known that there is little need for general advice to be 810W given to local authorities. Problems may arise in particular cases which will call for exchange of information and cooperation between local authorities and inspectors of Health and Safety Executive.