§ Mr. GalbraithTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what assessment she has made of the reasons for the increse in the death and injury rate in the coal mining industry for the years 1987–88 and 1989–90.
§ Mr. McLoughlinAny increase in accident rates is of concern, but it is not appropriate to compare two years in isolation. A relatively small change in the number of accidents can disproportionately effect accident rates.
The British Coal "all accident rate" for 1990–91 of 29.34 per 100,000 manshifts is the lowest ever recorded and this is the clearest indication of the continuing progress in reducing accidents achieved by British Coal in cooperation with the workforce, worker's representatives and the Health and Safety Executive's mines inspectorate.