§ Mr. Beaumont-Darkasked the Secretary of State for Employment what is his policy regarding the British Safety Council's recommendations on escalator safety standards; if he will bring forward proposals to make such accidents notifiable; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Cyril Smithasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he has taken action to implement the British Safety Council's recommendations to improve safety standards on escalators and to make such escalator accidents reportable; and if he will make a statement about this recommendation and others in the same report.
§ Mr. MayhewI refer to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Edgbaston (Mrs. Knight) on 29 June. I am informed by the chairman of the Health and Safety Commission that in formulating its comments on the draft European standard specification for safety standards for the construction and installation of escalators which was recently published by the British Standards Institution, the Health and Safety Executive has taken the British Safety Council's recommendations into consideration. The Commission has recently published a consultative document containing proposals for regulations on the notification of accidents which would make notifiable such serious accidents to passengers on escalators in shops as those which the hon. Members no doubt have in mind. The Commission is at present collecting comments on these proposals with a view to revising them and submitting them to the Secretary of State in due course. Other recommendations made by the British Safety Council have been referred to the Health and Safety Executive for consideration.