London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Battersea 1909
Report on the health of the Metropolitan Borough of Battersea for the year 1909
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80
Of the 84 new workshops added to the register during 1909,
67 were notified to H.M. Inspector in pursuance of Section 133
of the Factory and Workshop Act, 1901, which directs that "when
any woman, young person or child is employed in a workshop
in which no abstract of the Act is affirmed, as by this Act required,
and the Medical Officer of Health becomes aware thereof, he shall
forthwith give written notice thereof to the Inspector for the
district."
The following table gives particulars relating to new workshops in which "protected persons" were employed, notices of which were duly sent to H.M. Inspector during 1909:—
| Trade. | No. of Work shops. | Protected Persons employed. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women | Young Persons | Children. | Total. | ||
| Baker | 3 | - | 3 | - | 3 |
| Dressmaker | 25 | 33 | 22 | — | 55 |
| Florist | 3 | - | 3 | - | 3 |
| Milliner | 3 | 1 | - | 3 | |
| Photographer | 3 | 1 | - | 3 | |
| Tailor | 10 | 9 | 7 | - | 16 |
| Miscellaneous | 20 | 6 | — | ||
| Totals | 67 | 50 | — | 111 | |
Sanitary Condition of Workshops.
The Local Authority is the Authority responsible for the
sanitary conditions of workshops and workplaces in its district.
Sanitary conditions include (a) cleanliness, (b) air space, (c) ventilation,
(d) drainage of floors, (e) provision of sanitary
accommodation.
During the year 1909, 3,864 visits of inspection (2,947 by
the male and 917 by the female workshop Inspectors) to factories,
workshops and workplaces, exclusive of visits to home workers,
have been made by the workshop Inspectors. The following is
a tabulated statement of the work carried out in connection with
workshop inspection during 1909, so far as it admits of
tabulation:—