HL Deb 22 February 1993 vol 543 c4WA
Lord Molloy

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they have proposals to improve procedures for the prevention of accidents in NHS hospitals; and

Whether they are taking action to reduce the number of preventable accidents in NHS hospitals.

Baroness Cumberlege

National Health Service hospitals are already implementing the Health at Work in the NHS initiatives which follow up the commitments in theHealth of the Nation White Paper and include action related to preventing accidents at work. NHS hospitals are also subject to nationally applicable health and safety legislation, including the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992, which, amongst other things, require employers to carry out "risk assessments" to identify and eliminate hazards in the workplace.