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
Willesden 1950
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Willesden]
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TABLE I.
Number of Factories in the Borough.
| Non-mechanical | 78 | ||
| Mechanical | 796 | ||
| Total 874 | |||
| Number of Inspections Carried Out During the Year. | |||
| Non-mechanical factories | 153 | ||
| Mechanical factories | 851 | ||
| Total 1004 | |||
| Number of Factories Found Unsatisfactory and Notices Served. | |||
| Non-mechanical | 18 | ||
| Mechanical | 117 | ||
| Total 135 | |||
| Non-mechanical | Mechanical | Total | |
| Number of factories added to list | 4 | 48 | 52 |
| Number of factories deleted from list | 2 | 49 | 51 |
Defects Found and Remedied in Non-mechanical Factories.
| Character of Defect | No. found | Outstanding 1949 | Remedied | Outstanding 1950 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Want of cleanliness | 17 | 3 | 16 | 4 |
| Overcrowding | — | — | — | — |
| Unreasonable temperature | 1 | — | 1 | — |
| Inadequate ventilation | 4 | — | 4 | — |
| Ineffective drainage of floors | 2 | 1 | 3 | — |
| Sanitary conveniences- Insufficient | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Unsuitable or defective | 13 | 1 | 11 | 3 |
| Not separate for sexes | 1 | — | 1 | 1 |
| Defects Found and Remedied in Mechanical Factories. | ||||
| Character of Defect | No. found | Outstanding 1949 | Remedied | Outstanding 1950 |
| Sanitary accommodation— Insufficient | 10 | 1 | 9 | 2 |
| Unsuitable or defective | 106 | — | 99 | 7 |
| Not separate for sexes | 3 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
Noise.
Residents made several complaints about noise from factories during the year and with two exceptions
it has been possible to remove the causes.
There are two main factors to account for the complaints. First, many factories are now working late
hours in conformity with the export drive, and, secondly, new machines causing a greater amount of noise
and vibration have been installed, and parts of old machines have become worn out and have not been
replaced. The public have become more conscious of the effects of noise and vibration, and although they
expect some intermittent noise in industrial areas—noise of traffic, noise from radio sets and their neighbours,
etc.—they have found the constant noise and vibration from some factories unbearable, especially when it has
disturbed their sleep.