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189
is a necessary condition for the carrying on of this industry.
In a good many of the other industries, however, the nature
of the work does not lend itself to the same necessity and in
some cases the work itself is such as to make it a matter of
difficulty to secure cleanliness. During the year it was found
necessary to serve 114 notices for the cleansing of workshops.
(b) Air Space.—Workshops and workplaces must not be
so overcrowded while work is being carried on so as to be
dangerous or injurious to the health of the persons employed.
Section 3 of the Act lays down a standard of 250 cubic feet
per head and 400 cubic feet during overtime. This standard
is rarely contravened in the workshops in Battersea, and
during the year only 5 complaints of overcrowding have been
reported and dealt with. In the majority of the workshops in
the Borough the air space is above the standard.
(c) Ventilation (Section 7).—In every room in the
factory or workshop sufficient means of ventilation must be
provided and maintained. This requirement, so far as the
provision of sufficient means of ventilation is concerned, is in
the majority of the workshops in the Borough fulfilled. The
" maintenance of sufficient ventilation " is not, however, so
freely observed, and it is not uncommon to find the windows
and sometimes the other means of securing and maintaining
ventilation closed, for fear of draughts. During 1907 it has
only been necessary to serve notice in one instance for defective
ventilation in a workshop, and on the whole the condition of
the workshops as regards this important requirement has been
very satisfactory.
(d) Drainage of floors in workshops when wet processes
are carried on.—Section 8 provides that " in every factory and
workshop where the floors are liable to be wet, sufficient
means for drainage must be provided." The class of workshop
to which this Section of the Factory Act mainly applies,
so far as the Borough of Battersea is concerned, is the
laundry class. There are at present 34 workshops laundries
registered in the Borough.