§ Dr. McDonaldasked the Secretary of State for Employment if he is satisfied with the standards of safety at Little-brook D power station in view of the fact that nine people have been killed since work on the site commenced, and 310 reportable accidents have occurred; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Mayhew,pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 14 June 1979; Vol. 968, c. 281-2], gave the following information: The chairman of the Health and Safety Commission informs me that this large and complex site has been in operation for 5\ years and that the number of workpeople on site has varied constantly, with a maximum of approximately 2,000 employees working there at any one time for many different contractors.
Four of the fatalities on the site occurred in one incident in January 1978 when a hoist collapsed, and a prosecution on indictment is pending arising from the 411W incident: after its completion a report will be published. Since work started in 1974, inspectors of the Health and Safety Executive have paid more than 200 separate visits to more than 30 contractors and have carried out general inspections and accident and complaint investigations. At all the visits inspectors have enforced the appropriate standards of safety laid down in legislation, either by advising management orally or in writing, and they have three times prosecuted contractors working on the site.
Inspectors have held discussions with senior management of the main contractors, and they have also carried out their standard policy of contacting workers' representatives at visits even before the Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977 came into force on 1 October 1978.
No one can be complacent with the number of accidents reported in the construction industry generally and it is clear that throughout its industry standards of safety can and must be improved. I would draw the hon. Member's attention to the reports published on 12 June 1979 entitled "Construction—Health and Safety 1977-78 "and "Fatal Accidents in Construction 1977".
I regret the number of accidents that have occurred at the Littlebrook site, but I am satisfied that the enforcement of safety standards there has received, and is receiving, the proper degree of priority from the inspectorate in the construction group in the South-East area.