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 1963
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Battersea Borough]
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32
Factories and Outworkers.
Factories Act, 1961.
Metropolitan Borough Councils are responsible for the enforcement
of the provisions of this Act in regard to:—
(i) Sanitary conveniences—Section 7—In all factories.
(ii) Cleanliness, Overcrowding, Temperature, Ventilation, and
Drainage of Floors—Sections 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6—In all factories
where mechanical power is not used.
(iii) Certificates of Suitability for Basement Bakehouses—Section
70—In all basement bakehouses.
(iv) Water Supply (where derived from a source other than the
public mains)—Section 57—In all factories.
A table giving the number of factories on the register at the end
of the year, with the number of inspections, defects found, and action
taken, is, at the request of the Minister of Health, given as an annexe
to this Report.
The following table shows the factories in the Borough, classified according to the trades carried on.
| Trade | Mechanical Factories | Non-Mechanical Factories | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| At 1 Jan. | At 31 Dec. | At 1 Jan. | At 31 Dec. | |
| Building and Allied | 31 | 33 | 19 | 18 |
| Clothing and Allied | 38 | 37 | 15 | 15 |
| Engineering and Heavy Industry | 56 | 58 | — | — |
| Electrical and Allied | 27 | 26 | — | — |
| Food and Allied | 26 | 25 | 2 | 2 |
| Furniture and Allied | 16 | 14 | 3 | 3 |
| Metal Worker | 17 | 19 | — | — |
| Printer and Allied | 33 | 34 | 2 | 1 |
| Road Vehicle Repairer | 56 | 54 | 18 | 14 |
| Steam Laundry | 9 | 9 | — | — |
| Transport (Road & Rail) | 18 | 18 | — | — |
| Others | 70 | 61 | 41 | 31 |
| Total | 397 | 388 | 100 | 84 |
Bakehouses.
There were 11 bakehouses on the register at the end of the year.
All these are classed as factories, and 9 of them use mechanical power.
Forty-four inspections were made and three notices served.
Two of the bakehouses were "basement bakehouses" within the
meaning of Section 70 of the Factories Act, 1961, one having closed
during the year.