§ Mr. Ron Daviesasked the Paymaster General what evidence he has about the trend in standards of safety in agricultural employment over the past five years; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. TrippierFigures for major injuries reported to the Health and Safety Executive in agriculture are:
Employees Non-employees Total 1981 148 43 191 1982 135 38 173 1983 183 51 234 1984 251 51 302 Major injuries in this industry are notably subject to under-reporting and some of the increase may reflect an increased propersity to report.
Fatalities reported to HSE in agriculture are:
358W
Employees Non-employees Total 1981 31 38 69 1982 27 39 66 1983 26 28 64 1984 26 30 66 Comparable figures before 1981 are not available for either major injuries and fatalities.
While the figures for fatalities show some decline the trend in major injuries continues to cause concern and is being kept under careful review.