§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many employees in(a) the public sector and (b) the private sector, have been diagnosed with work-related upper limb disorders during the years (i) 1992–93, (ii) 1993–94 and (iii) 1994–95. [1126]
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§ Sir Paul BeresfordSome types of work-related upper limb disorders are prescribed under the industrial injuries scheme. The number of cases in Great Britain diagnosed with at least 1 per cent. disability for the periods 1992–93 and 1993–94 are shown in the table:
Disorders 1992–93 '1993–94 Cramp of hand or forearm 116 135 Beat hand 16 18 Beat elbow 38 42 Inflammation of tendons of the hand, forearm or associated tendon sheaths (Tenosynovitis) 911 800 Carpal Tunnel Syndrome 20 267 1 Provisional. Data broken down by private and public sectors are not collated in the form requested, and data for 1994–95 are not yet available.
The industrial injuries statistics cover only the most serious cases from a restricted range of occupationally defined upper limb disorders. From a survey based on respondents' own perception of the link between their occupation and ill-health, it was estimated that in the 12 months prior to March 1990, 110,000 people in England and Wales suffered from an upper limb disorder which they believed was caused by their work. This estimate was based on responses to a special set of questions in the 1990 labour force survey and covers a wider range of upper limb disorders and degrees of severity than the industrial injuries scheme.
§ Mr. CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many employers have complied with the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 in respect of the instructions to employers to(a) analyse VDU workstations, (b) assess the risks to health and (c) take action to reduce such risks; and how many employers have been prosecuted for not complying with the regulations. [1005]
§ Sir Paul BeresfordInformation on the extent of compliance with the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 is not available in the form requested. However, the Health and Safety Executive has started work to evaluate the impact of the regulations. This has included a survey of employers. This evaluation is due for completion in 1996 and should produce information on the extent of awareness of, and compliance with, the regulations, and what actions employers have taken to comply.
The available figures for 1993–94 and 1994–95, provisional figures show that HSE's field operations division inspectors took no prosecution action under the display screen equipment regulations, but issued five improvement notices under these regulations. Equivalent figures are not available for local authority inspectors, who enforce health and safety regulations in premises such as offices, banks and shops.