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222
1910]
The work of the Sanitary Inspector in regard to factories deals only with the
sanitary accommodation. The conveniences must be sufficient for the numbers employed,
separate for the sexes, kept in a cleanly condition, adequately ventilated, easily accessible
and, if for females, provided with proper doors and fastenings. These requirements being
defined by the Sanitary Accommodation Order, 1903. The number of conveniences was sufficient
in all, except two, of the factories in the Borough, and in both of these cases the
number of employees has been reduced so that the accommodation is now adequate. In
one factory the approaches to the convenience for the men and the women were not separate,
but this was promptly remedied when the attention of the occupier was drawn to the fact.
The condition of the conveniences, as regards cleanliness, was not very satisfactory.
In one factory the six w.c.'s for females were in a particularly disgusting condition, and
a letter was sent to the owner in addition to the usual notice. The cleansing of the conveniences
is carried out by either a person especially appointed to do this work or in turns
by the younger employees. The former plan is usually associated with satisfactory conditions.
Under proper supervision the second course is excellent and has a high educational
value, as the girls are taught what constitutes cleanliness in these matters and how to
effect and maintain it.
Any factories which have been visited and which had not been previously inspected
by His Majesty's Inspector of Factories were at once notified to the Home Office, and these
are not included in the number of workshops so notified under Public Health (London)
Act, 1891 (Sec. 27). As the Local Authority is held responsible for the inspection of the
sanitary accommodation of factories, it would seem advisable that future legislation should
provide for the notification of factories to the Local Authority in the same manner as the
present law requires the notification of workshops.
Register of Workshops.—At the end of the year 1910 there were 785 workshops and
114 laundries, comprising 1,448 workrooms, on the register. During the year 113 workshops
and 9 laundries had been added, while 185 workshops and 23 laundries had been removed.