asked the Minister for Labour if he will make a statement on the fact that, although industry was in deep recession in 1982, the number of accidents at work rose in that year.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Accidents At Work.
16.
Four thousand, six hundred and seventy-one accidents at work were reported to my Department in 1982. The figure for 1981 was 3,865 and for 1980 4,330.
I must emphasise here that I am speaking about accidents which have been reported to my Department. The recent report of the Commission of Inquiry on Safety, Health and Welfare at Work has argued with some conviction that "reported accidents" are not a reliable index of our safety performance. Our reporting system does not capture information on all accidents; many accidents are not reported; and we have not developed the kind of incidence, frequency or severity rates to enable us to establish trends over time, weighted by reference to the number of people at work.
A reasonable assumption is that the pattern of accident reporting is improving according as the provisions of the Safety in Industry Act are better known and implemented. This may go some way to explaining the 1982 data. But we need better data and better application of statistical techniques to identify whether variations are random fluctuations or are truly significant.
Following is the tabular statement:
|
Accidents |
|||
|
Year |
Non-Fatal |
Fatal |
Total |
|
1979 |
3,601 |
32 |
3,633 |
|
1980 |
4,300 |
30 |
4,330 |
|
1981 |
3,844 |
21 |
3,865 |
|
1982 |
4,655 |
16 |
4,671 |
|
1983 |
5,904* |
15* |
5,109* |
*(Provisional)
Is the Minister aware that the Construction and Property News of February 1984 stated that there was a record of seven fatal accidents and 191 more non-fatal accidents last year compared to the previous year? Will the Minister agree that those figures are disturbing? Is the Minister satisfied that industrial inspectors are fully effective in carrying out inspections and in the spreading of safety advice?
Before we start a debate on statistics I should like to make one comment with which I am sure all Members will agree, that accident rates and trends are far too high and that many of the accidents that occur are preventable. I should like to say something about the statistics. Deputy Leonard referred to the number of fatal accidents and I should like to tell the House that one of the pleasing trends in recent years is the fact that the number of fatalities has decreased gradually each year. In 1979 there were 32; in 1980, 30; in 1981 21; in 1982, 16 and in 1983, 15. The 1983 statistic is still provisional and I will not be in a position to confirm it for some time yet. I do not want any Member to think that that indicates a degree of complacency. I prefaced my remarks by saying that there are too many accidents, many of which could have been prevented.
Will the Minister agree that when the Construction and Property News, who are deeply worried about the accident rate in the construction industry, expressed concern at the number of fatal accidents it is time the Department looked at the reason for this particularly when there are fewer people at work?
I accept that the number of accidents is appallingly high and that many of those accidents can be and should have been avoided. There is some reason for satisfaction in the decrease in the number of fatal accidents. In regard to the fluctuations from year to year, I should like to point out to the Deputy that the Safety in Industry Act, 1980, makes some changes in the methods of reporting. To some extent it tightens up the obligation to report an accident and that may account for some of the statistical increase. In addition successive Ministers and Ministers of State and successive members of the inspectorate in the Department have been stressing the obligation to report. It may be that that message is getting across also.
I was pleased to note that the Department have authorised the appointment of more inspectors and officers to investigate these matters. I should like to ask the Minister if a survey has been carried out in regard to the industries where the accident rate appears to be higher than the national average. Have the Department carried out an investigation where there is a higher accident rate to see if firms are not complying with the regulations?
The statistics published annually contain an industry by industry breakdown. That information is available. The Deputy asked if we could identify particular black spots and give special attention to them and I should like to tell him that we have taken a policy decision to try to concentrate our inspection manpower potential on such areas which appear to be most at risk or which in the past had a bad track record.
As the person who steered the 1980 Act through the House while Minister for Labour, I should like to welcome the Minister's comments on the improvement in the reporting technique. Is the Minister concerned that there appears to be a contradiction in what he has said in regard to the 1980 Act and the report of the Commission regarding the danger of inaccuracy in the reporting of statistics on accidents? Does the Minister regard the doubt expressed by the Commission as serious and as a matter that should be tackled immediately to ensure that if there is a doubt about statistics subsequent to the 1980 Act something should be done immediately to eliminate it?
I should like to tell the House that even if the reporting techniques were met 100 per cent that would not be a satisfactory situation because we would be reporting only those accidents that give rise to a serious consequence, fatal or three days loss of work, depending on the industry. The act of carelessness may be equal, or worse, without having those serious consequences. We do not get a report on all the individual acts or omissions within an industry that could be the concern of the people charged with improving safety.
I do not think we have to get too academic about this subject and deal with the risks that may take place. Will the Minister agree that as long as there is one death or one accident we must strive for improvement? I do not see an improvement if we have one death in a year. If there is a doubt about the more serious accident resulting in a loss of work for three days or more or up to a fatal accident, in regard to the accuracy of the information as a result of the 1980 Act then we have a serious situation.
I endorse the comments of the Deputy that there is not a reason to be satisfied as long as even one fatality occurs. As far as the Government are concerned there is no acceptable level of accidents at work. In regard to the question about the adequacy of reporting procedures I should like to state that the evidence from the trends would seem to indicate that the Safety in Industry Act is working and that the reporting procedures as required by the Act are being improved. In part that is a reflection on the degree of attention that successive administrations have placed in publicity and speeches in telling people that they must report. I hope there will be further improvement in that area. I readily acknowledge the contribution of the two Deputies opposite in this area.
The remaining questions will appear on tomorrow's Order Paper.