§ Mr. Maddenasked the Secretary of State for Employment if the Health and Safety Commission still accepts the recommendations contained in the notes of guidance on the guarding of wool carding machines as setting an acceptable standard; in particular, if it endorses the observation made in paragraph 4 of the introduction to the report; and if not, what its reservations are.
§ Mr. John GrantI am informed by the Chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that, in the view of Her Majesty's Factory Inspectorate of the Health and Safety Executive, the recommendations contained in the Notes of Guidance on the Guarding of Woollen Carding Machines published in January 1974 no longer, in the light of experience since then, set an acceptable standard. The use of electrical inter-locking is, however, pressed for by HM Factory Inspectorate, since the use of captive key interlocking has been frequently found to be ineffective.
The observation of the Chairman of the carding machines sub-committee made in paragraph 4 of the introduction to the notes, that once an effectively interlocked guard of substantial construction is provided to prevent access to the dangerous parts and that guard is properly maintained there need be no changes in the method of guarding, remains valid.