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166
1904]
ADMINISTRATION OF THE FACTORY AND WORKSHOP
ACT, 1901.
This Act requires, by its 132nd section, that "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."
In the report of 1903 (pp. 166-170) the duties of Borough Councils under
it were fully detailed, and, therefore, there is no occasion to set them forth
here.
During 1904 the work of the Inspectors has been, as hitherto, of a most
useful character, and has resulted in many additional improvements being
effected in factories, workshops and workplaces. It is satisfactory once more
to be able to report that, although there is some very slight overlapping of the
work of His Majesty's Inspectors and those of the Council, that they have
mutually assisted each other, and that there has been no friction, which cannot
be equally asserted of the County Council Inspectors with respect to work of
another character.
The work done during the year will now be considered under the various
headings that were adopted in the Report for 1903 in accordance with the
spirit of the requirement of the Act.
Inspections and Visits.—There are two inspectors employed by
the Council, namely, Miss Gray, who visits all workshops and workplaces
where women are employed, and Mr. West, who inspects all those where men
are engaged. Where both sexes work together, then both inspectors look
after the welfare of the workpeople.
During the year 1904 they made 7,463 inspections and visits to the several
workplaces, as compared with 7,846 visits paid in 1903, 8,040 in 1902, and
with an average of 7,195 in the preceding eight years. Since 1896, when
Islington first commenced to pay particular attention to the sanitary state of
the factories and workshops within its boundaries, to the present time over
sixty-five thousand inspections have been made, and naturally these have
resulted in very great improvements being effected in the sanitary state of the
workplaces.