View report page

Factory and Workshop Act, 1901.
The following part of this report is made pursuant to
section 132 of the Factory and Workshop Act, 1901, which
provides as follows:— "The Medical Officer of Health of every
District Council shall in his Annual Report to them report
specifically on the administration of this Act in workshops
and workplaces, and he shall send a copy of his Annual
Report, or so much of it as deals with this subject, to the
Secretary of State." The report, however, is not limited to an
account of the administration of the above Act in workshops
and workplaces; it contains in addition a statement of the
work done by the Council in carrying out their duties in
relation to factories under the Public Health (London) Act,
1891.
Workshops.
Before the year 1902 workshop inspection in Battersea
was carried out by the District Sanitary Inspectors. Much
excellent work was done, but owing to the heavy calls upon
the Inspectors' time by their other duties, it was not found
possible to maintain a proper systematic supervision of the
workshops. When the Factory Act of 1901 was passed the
Council appointed two additional Inspectors, Miss Dawson
and Mr. Benjamin, who entered upon their duties about the
middle of 1902. Since that time a systematic inspection has
been made of the workshops, and they are now kept under
proper supervision. Workshops in which women only are
employed are inspected by Miss Dawson, Mr. Benjamin has
charge of the men's workshops, while those in which both
sexes are employed are supervised by both Inspectors, Each
workshop is inspected not less than four times a year, and
in many cases much more frequently.
Pursuant to section 131 of the Factory Act, a register of
workshops is kept, and it has been found that the card register,
which has now been in use nearly two years, has many
advantages over the ordinary book register. Each workshop
has a special dossier, in which are filed all the reports, plans,
letters, and other papers relating to that particular workshop.