§ Mr. Clifton-BrownTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many(a) fatal and (b) serious injuries were caused by the use of electrical equipment in the workplace in the last 10 years.
§ Mr. McLoughlinStatistics of accidents caused by use of electrical equipment in the workplace during the last 10 years are not available in the form requested. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has extracted from the available statistics those which are most likely to refer to the use of electrical equipment; these are as follows:
Year Fatal injuries Serious injuries 1986–87 16 160 1987–88 17 187 1988–89 17 166 1989–90 11 178 1990–91 11 201 1991–92 14 171 Notes:
1. The table provided in this answer provides details of selected types of accidents resulting in fatal and major injuries occurring during the years 1986–87 and 1990–91 and provisional figures for 1991–92 as reported to the Health and Safety Executive's Factory and Agricultural Inspectorates, and to local authorities when they are the enforcing authority. Figures for 1991–92 also include details of reports made to the Health and Safety Executive's Quarries Inspectorate. Detailed analysis is not readily available for those injuries occurring in industries covered by other enforcing authorities or Inspectorates. The selected injuries are those where the agent of the accident is recorded as having been some kind of electrical equipment.
2. The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1985 (RIDDOR) which govern the collection of such statistics were not introduced until 1985. Statistics for earlier years would be difficult to retrieve, and would in any case not be on a comparable basis.
3. The figures in the second column refer to major injuries requiring immediate medical treatment or causing loss of consciousness.
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§ Mr. Clifton-BrownTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many(a) fatal and (b) serious injuries have been caused by fires occurring in the workplace in the last 10 years.
§ Mr. McLoughlinThe number of fatal and serious injuries caused by fires reported to the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) factory and agricultural inspectorates and local authorities are as follows:
Year2 Fatal Major3 1986–87 6 142 1987–88 14 149 1988–89 10 134 1989–90 11 135 41990–91 10 121 1 41991–92 9 97 1Provisional. 2Years commencing 1 April. 3As defined under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations, 1985. 4Includes reports made to HSE's Quarries Inspectorate. Note: Injuries caused by fires were not separately identified from those involving explosions prior to 1986–87.