HC Deb 18 April 1989 vol 151 cc141-2W
45. Mr. McFall

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what were the fatal and major injury rates in the chemical industries in 1974, 1978 and 1988.

Mr. Nicholls

The available information is shown in the table.

Injury rates per 100,000 employees in the clinical industry1
Fatal injuries 2Major injuries 3All reported injuries
41974 11.3 n/a 2,419
1978 3.2 n/a 2,699
51987–88 1.2 160.4 1,051
1 Defined as Order 5 of the 1968 Standard Industrial Classification in 1974 and 1978 and Class 25 of the 1980 SIC in 1987–88.

2 The classification on injuries as major was first introduced in 1981.
3 Includes all reported injuries causing more than 3 days absence from work. Comparisons between years may be affected by variable under-reporting of non-fatal injuries.
4 Includes 28 people killed and 36 others who were injured by the explosion at the Flixborough Works and NYPRO (UK) Limited on I June 1984.
5 Provisional.

106. Mr. Flannery

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether he will estimate the number of accidents that go unreported in the chemical industry.

Mr. Nicholls

All cases of fatal injury in the course of work activity are reported to the enforcement authorities. It is not known what proportion of other reportable injuries to people employed in the chemical industry go unreported, but it is thought that it may be less than 50 per cent.

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