HC Deb 08 December 1977 vol 940 cc868-72W
Mr. Loyden

asked the Secretary of State for Employment what is the percentage for the last five years of deaths, serious industrial accidents and serious industrial diseases of workers in the categories: (a) building and construction workers, (b) dock workers, (c) miners, (d) steel workers, (e) firemen, (f) seamen, including workers on oil rigs, (g) police and (h) local authority workers.

Mr. John Grant,

pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 30th November 1977:

FATAL AND SERIOUS ACCIDENTS AND INCIDENCE RATES†
Number of accidents Incidence per 100,000 at risk
Fatal Serious Fatal Serious
1971
Factories Act
SIC Order
XX. Construction 201 7,920* 19.6 770*
VI. Metal manufacture 58 4,860* 13.7 1,150*
Docks, wharves, quays and inland ware-houses 30 .. .. ..
Mines and Quarries Act
Coal mining 72 641 24.2 220
Merchant Shipping (Returns of Births and Deaths) Regulations and Mineral Workings (Offshore Installations) Act
Seamen (including workers on oil rigs) 53 .. .. ..
Others
Firemen 3 .. .. ..
Police 10 .. 9.3 ..

Number of accidents Incidence per 100,000 at risk
Fatal Serious Fatal Serious
1972
Factories Act
SIC Order
XX. Construction 190 8,320* 18.7 820*
VI. Metal manufacture 46 3,900* 11.8 1,000*
Docks, wharves, quays and inland warehouses 17 .. .. ..
Mines and Quarries Act
Coal Mining 64 519 22.1 180
Merchant Shipping (Returns of Births and Deaths) Regulations and Mineral Workings (Offshore Installations) Act
Seamen (including workers on oil rigs) 113 .. .. ..
Others
Firemen 12 .. .. ..
Police 10 .. 9.0 ..

Number of accidents Incidence per 100,000 at risk
Fatal Serious Fatal Serious
1973
Factories Act
SIC Order
XX. Construction 231 7,620* 21.6 710*
VI. Metal manufacture 67 3,620* 17.0 920*
Docks, wharves, quays and inland warehouses 29 .. .. ..
Mines and Quarries Act
Coal Mining 80 553 29.6 200
Merchant Shipping (Returns of Births and Deaths) Regulations and Mineral Workings (Offshore Installations) Act
Seamen (including workers on oil rigs) 74 .. .. ..
Others
Firemen 2 .. .. ..
Police 13 .. 11.6 ..

Vol. 940, c. 197], gave the following information

The Chairman of the Health and Safety Commission informs me that data in the exact form required are not available, as full detail by occupation cannot be obtained. Certain information available is given below for Great Britain:

Number of accidents Incidence per 100,000 at risk
Fatal Serious Fatal Serious
1974
Factories Act
SIC Order
XX. Construction 166 7,880* 16.0 760*
VI. Metal manufacture 53 4,260* 13.8 1,110*
Docks, wharves, quays and inland warehouses 28 .. .. ..
Mines and Quarries Act
Coal Mining 48 497 18.7 200
Merchant Shipping (Returns of Births and Deaths) Regulations and Mineral Workings (Offshore Installations) Act
Seamen (including workers on oil rigs) 70 .. .. ..
Others
Firemen 10 .. .. ..
Police 4 .. 3.5 ..

Number of accidents Incidence per 100,000 at risk
Fatal Serious Fatal Serious
1975
Factories Act
SIC Order
XX. Construction 182 7,600* 17.7 740*
VI. Metal manufacture 38 3,540* 10.0 930*
Docks, wharves, quays and inland warehouses 15 .. .. ..
Mines and Quarries Act
Coal Mining 64 586 24.7 230
Merchant Shipping (Returns of Births and Deaths) Regulations and Mineral Workings (Offshore Installations) Act
Seamen (including workers on oil rigs) 77 .. .. ..
Others
Firemen 8 .. .. ..
Police 6 .. 5.0 ..
.. Not available.
* Based on 5 per cent, sample.
† Numbers at risk are not available for ail categories. For coal mining all employees at mines are included.
‡ Please note that definition of "serious" is not compatible with Factories Act definition. See note 3.

Sources

  • Health and Safety Executive.
  • National Coal Board.
  • Department of Trade.
  • Department of Energy.
  • Home Office.
  • Scottish Office.

Notes

1. Figures for Construction and Metal manufacture industries relate to SIC Orders and are as reported under the Factories Act. Figures for steel workers alone are not available.

2. Figures for Docks, wharves, quays and inland warehouses also relate to premises covered by the Factories Act. Figures for Docks alone are not available.

3. Coal mining figures are reported under the Mines and Quarries Act under which "serious" accidents are defined in a much more restrictive way than the "serious" identified by the 5 per cent. sample of Factories Act accidents.

4. Fatal accidents to firemen on operational duty arc as reported to the Home Office for England and Wales and the Scottish Office for Scotland. Reliable figures of serious injuries are not available. Numbers at risk cannot be easily identified because of the complications of part-time and volunteer firemen, and no incidence rates are therefore given.

5. Fatal accidents to police while on duty are as recorded by the Home Office and the Scottish Office, but records of non-fatal accidents are not available.

6. Fatal accidents to merchant seamen provided by the Department of Trade have been combined with those reported to the Department of Energy under the Mineral Workings (Offshore Installations) Act and exclude fishermen. Serious injuries are not available on the same basis in each case nor are the numbers at risk required to calculate an incidence rate available.

7. Details for local authority workers are not separately available from the rest of the workers engaged in any particular industry e.g. Construction, Public administration and defence.

8. No detailed occupational breakdown is available for serious industrial disease.

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