§ Dr. GodmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Streatham (Mr. Hill), 30 March,Official Report, column 787, if he will list the occupational activities for which occupational deafness can be prescribed as a disease, in relation to which disablement benefit is payable; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ScottOccupational deafness is prescribed for disablement benefit purposes in relation to the following occupational activities:
I refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend, the Member for Erewash (Mrs. Knight) on 24 February at column 368, which sets out the further occupational activities to be added from October 1994.
- 1. The use of powered, but not hand powered, grinding tools on cast metal other than weld metal or on billets or blooms in the metal producing industry, or work wholly or mainly in the immediate vicinity of those tools whilst they are being so used;
- 2. The use of pneumatic percussive tools on metal, or work wholly or mainly in the immediate vicinity of those tools whilst they are being so used;
- 3. The use of pneumatic percussive tools for drilling rock in quarries or underground or in mining coal, or work wholly or mainly in the immediate vicinity of those tools whilst they are being so used;
- 4. Work wholly or mainly in the immediate vicinity of plant (excluding power press plant) engaged in the forging (including drop stamping) of metal by means of closed or open dies or drop hammers;
- 5. Work in textile manufacturing where the work is undertaken wholly or mainly in rooms or sheds in which there are machines engaged in weaving man-made or natural (including mineral) fibres or in the high speed false twisting of fibres;
- 6. The use of, or work wholly or mainly in the immediate vicinity of, machines engaged in cutting, shaping or cleaning metal nails;
- 7. The use of, or work wholly or mainly in the immediate vicinity of, plasma spray guns engaged in the deposition of metal;
- 8. The use of, or work wholly or mainly in the immediate vicinity of, any of the following machines engaged in the working of wood or material composed partly of wood, that is to say; multi cutter moulding machines, planing machines, automatic or semi-automatic lathes, multiple cross-cut machines, automatic shaping machines, double-end tenoning machines, vertical spindle moulding machines (including high speed routing machines), edge banding machines, bandsawing machines with a blade width of not less than 75 millimetres and circular sawing machines in the operation of which the blade is moved towards the material being cut;
- 9. The use of chain saws in forestry.