HC Deb 17 July 1989 vol 157 cc45-6W
Ms. Armstrong

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many fatalities were reported caused by injuries to pupils at school for the years 1 April 1986 to 31 March 1987 and 1 April 1987 to 31 March 1988; and what were the causes of those fatalities.

Mr. Nicholls

In the year beginning 1 April 1986, four fatal injuries to pupils at schools were reported to the enforcing authorities. In the following year, five fatal injuries were reported. Details of the causes of those fatalities are given in the table.

Fatal injuries to pupils at schools1

Reported to the enforcing authorities2

1986–87

  • —blow to the head during a game of rugby.
  • —wall collapsed during high winds.
  • —fall from two storeys through an open window.
  • —slipping on a concrete slab.

1987–88

  • —septicaemia after fracture caused by a fall.
  • —choking on a pen top.
  • —collapse following an exercise on a trampoline.
  • —accident involving a reversing delivery van (two fatalities).

1 Nursery, primary and secondary education level schools.

2 Reported to LISE's factory and agricultural inspectorates, the relevant enforcing authorities for the education sector, under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1985.

Ms. Armstrong

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many inspectors there are to inspect schools for the purposes of health and safety; how many inspections of schools were carried out in the years 1 March 1986 to 31 March 1987 and 1 April 1987 to 31 March 1988; how many prosecutions followed these inspections; and how many enforcement notices followed the prosecutions.

Mr. Nicholls

Inspectors based in the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE's) area offices have a range of inspection responsibilities and no inspectors are employed solely on the inspection of schools.

A total of 679 inspections of schools were carried out between 1 April 1986 and 31 March 1987 and 940 between I April 1987 and 31 March 1988.

The table shows the number of prosecutions taken by HSE against the education sector, which includes all educational establishments and the number of enforcement notices issued in 1986–87 and 1987–88:

Year Number of prosecutions Number of notices issued
1 April 1986 to 31 March 1987 4 24
1 April 1987 to 31 March 1988 6 28

It is not possible to identify, without incurring disproportionate cost, how many prosecutions were taken following inspections or how many notices were issued following prosecutions.

Ms. Armstrong

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give a breakdown of major injury figures to children at school for the different local authority areas for the years 1 April 1986 to 31 March 1987 and 1 April 1987 to 31 March 1988 together with the pupil-injury ratio for each authority.

Mr. Nicholls

Information in the form requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Ms. Armstrong

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the national total for major injuries to pupils at school in the year 1 April 1987 to 31 March 1988.

Mr. Nicholls

In the year beginning 1 April 1987, 7,684 major injuries to pupils in nursery, primary and secondary education schools were reported to the enforcing authorities under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1985.

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