§ Mr. Ian McCartneyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish figures showing the number of(a) fatal and (b) serious reportable accidents, gathered by the mines inspectorate, covering (i) direct and (ii) contract employees of each of the coal companies operating deep mines which were previously publicly owned, in those months in 1995 for which figures are available; and if he will publish equivalent figures for 1994 [9775]
§ Sir Paul BeresfordInformation for individual mines is not produced. Statistics for the industry are published as an aggregate figure in the Health and Safety Commission's annual report. Those for the period from January 1994 to March 1995 are included in the 1993–94 and 1994–95 statistics. Copies of the commission's annual reports have been placed in the House Library.
§ Mr. McCartneyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information, and at what intervals, is required to be provided to the Health and Safety Executive regarding serious injuries occurring in private coal companies. [9717]
§ Sir Paul BeresfordThe Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1985—RIDDOR—require the manager of the mine to notify the Health and Safety Executive forthwith in the event of an accident at work to any employee or member of the public resulting in a fatality or major injury or if there is a dangerous occurrence. Accidents at work to employees600W resulting in an absence of more than three days must be reported within seven days. Cases of occupational disease specified in the schedule to the regulations must be reported as soon as an employer receives notification from a doctor.
Incidents must be reported on an approved report form published by HSE. The information required includes details of the employer concerned, the premises where the incident occurred, the injured person and the nature of their injuries, and a description of the accident.
§ Mr. McCartneyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will require private coal companies to publish, at regular intervals, detailed statistics relating to the number and types of serious reportable accidents, sustained by(a) directly employed and (b) contract workers. [9776]
§ Sir Paul BeresfordNo.