London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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City of London 1904

Report of the Medical Officer of Health for the City of London for the year 1904

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90
WOMAN SANITARY INSPECTOR.
Summary of work done under the Factory and Workshop Act, 1901, during
the year 1904:—
Factories inspected 39
„ re-inspections 57
Workshops (workrooms inspected, measured, &c.) 345
„ re-inspections 282
Workplaces inspected 11
„ re-inspections 35
Offices inspected 13
„ re-inspections 8
Domestic workshops inspected 4
Schools inspected 2
Complaints received from H.M. Inspectors of Factories 6
General complaints received 31
Workers employed:—Men, 318 ; Women, 5,035 5,353
Defects found 433
Defects remedied—Ventilation of workshops improved 38
Overcrowding abated 39
Workshops, &c., cleansed 21
W.C's provided or improved 176
General defects remedied 40
Total number of defects remedied and improvements effected 314
Notices served:—Intimation, 104; Statutory, 34 138
Cases referred to Solicitor 5
Matters referred to District Inspectors 61
In addition to the above, the ladies' waiting rooms at the twenty-three
Railway Stations, and the underground conveniences for women, have been
regularly inspected.
During the year the inspection of workshops already on the register has
been completed, and 345 workshops where women are employed have been
dealt with by your Woman Inspector, in addition to 39 factories. Fifty
trades are represented, thirty-one of which are concerned with the making of
clothing, and from these a great deal of the work is given to outworkers,
most of whom carry on their work outside the City.
The existence of factories is not notified to a Local Authority by
H.M. Inspectors of Factories, though the obligation to inspect the sanitary
accommodation at these places rests with the Sanitary Authority under
Section 38 Public Health (London) Act, 1891. The use of mechanical
power in any part of the work renders the premises a "factory" within the
meaning of the Factory Act, and it often happens that in clothing factories
the only power used is in the cutting room, the actual making up of the
garments being done by hand or treadle machines. There are besides,