§ Sir Bernard Braineasked the Secretary of State for Employment why, since the terms of reference of the recent Health
290Wengineering (c) chemical and (d) other industries, how many managers and how many employees have been charged with offences under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 in 1976, 1977 and to 30th June 1978, stating in each category how many convictions were obtained.
§ Mr. John Grant,pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 17th July 1978; Vol. 954, c. 33], gave the following information:
I am advised by the chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that the information is not available in the precise form requested. However the following table shows, for the industries indicated, the number of company "officers", as defined in section 37 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act, and the number of employees charged by Health and Safety Executive inspectorates under the Act and the number of convictions obtained on the information laid:
and Safety Executive inquiry into the risks to people living on and around Canvey Island referred specifically to their health as well as to their safety, no investigation was made into the nuisance and 291W sickness caused by noxious emissions into the atmosphere from the excessive concentration of hazardous industrial activity in the area; and which have been the subject of repeated complaints.
§ Mr. John Grant,pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 18th July 1978], gave the following information:
I am informed by the chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that the terms of reference of the investigation into the potential hazards from operations in the Canvey Island-Thurrock area required the investigating team
to investigate and determine the overall risks to health and safety arising from any possible major interactions between existing or proposed installations in the area".The investigation was, therefore, concerned only with those kinds of emissions into the atmosphere which might arise from such interactions. The investigating team did identify and assess the risks from possible interactions involving the release of airborne toxic substances such as ammonia and hydrogen fluoride and these are fully described in the Health and Safety Executive report of the investigation.
§ Sir Bernard Braineasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the areas of uncertainty upon which work remains to be done, referred to on page V of the Health and Safety Executive's recent report on the risks to the health and safety of the people who live on and around Canvey Island from hazardous industrial activities in the area.
§ Mr. John Grant,pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 18th July 1978], gave the following information:
I am informed by the chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that most of the further work which needs to be carried out involves very thorough assessment by the firms concerned of a number of potential hazards identified during the study. The most important areas where such surveys are considered to be necessary are listed on page 28 of the Health and Safety Executive report of the investigation as follows:
- 1. A hazard analysis of a possible incident involving a missile generated by a process explosion penetrating the ammonia sphere at Fisons Limited.
292 - 2. A special study of the chance of a railway accident in the vicinity of the ammonia sphere at Fisons Limited.
- 3. A hazard analysis of the operation and flow isolating arrangements of the ammonia plants at Shell UK Oil and Fisons Limited and assessments of the emergency plans at these installations.
§ Sir Bernard Braineasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the qualifications of the 30 engineers, chemists and other specialists who were utilised by the Health and Safety Executive at various stages of its recent investigation into the safety of the people who live on and around Canvey Island from hazardous industrial activities in the area.
§ Mr. John Grant,pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 18th July 1978], gave the following information:
I am informed by the chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that all the members of the investigating team of engineers, chemists and other specialists utilised at various stages of the investigation into the potential hazards from operations in the Canvey Island-Thurrock area are professionally qualified, hold at least first degrees or equivalent technical qualifications, and possess experience highly relevant to the assessment work carried out. The team included members of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Institution of Electrical Engineers, Institution of Chemical Engineers, and Institute of Physics.
§ Sir Bernard Braineasked the Secretary of State for Employment which industrial plants in the area from Stanford-le-Hope to Canvey Island are required under the proposed hazard regulations to carry out detailed hazard surveys: and in each case whether such surveys have been completed by the management concerned.
§ Mr. John Grant,pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 18th July 1978], gave the following information:
I am informed by the chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that on the basis of the criteria set out in schedule 1 to the Draft Hazardous Installations (Notification and Survey) Regulations published as a consultative document by the Health and Safety Commission on 16th June 1978, the 293W following companies in the area covered by the recent Health and Safety Executive investigation would be required to carry out hazard surveys because of the presence of hazardous substances in the appropriate quantities on their sites:
- British Gas Corporation, Canvey Island
- Mobil Oil Company Limited, Coryton
- Calor Gas Limited, Coryton
- Shell UK Oil, Shellhaven
- Fisons Limited, Stanford-le-Hope
Since these regulations are still only at the consultative stage, none of the managements concerned has completed a hazard survey.