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

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Kensington 1915

Annual report of the Medical Officer of Health 1915

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37
FACTORIES AND WORKSHOPS.
Section 132 of the Factory and Workshop Act, 1901, requires the Medical Officer of Health of
every District Council to report specifically on the workshops and workplaces in his district, and
to send a copy of his annual report to the Secretary of State. The total number of workshops on
the Council's register is 1,870. Workshops where men are employed are placed under the supervision
of the sanitary inspector in whose district they are situated; workshops where women are
employed are inspected by the two lady sanitary inspectors, who also visit the premises of homeworkers
and inspect the sanitary conveniences reserved for women in workshops, railway stations
and other public places in Kensington. The factories in the Borough number 246, and are
inspected and regulated by H.M. Inspectors under the Home Office. The Sanitary Inspectors of
the Borough Council are, however, required to ensure the provision of suitable and sufficient sanitary
conveniences in factories as well as in workshops.
WOMEN'S WORKSHOPS.
Report of Lady Inspectors. —" The number of workshops and factories at which female labour
was employed at the end of 1915 was 918, 346 (mostly laundries) being in North Kensington, and
572 (mostly dressmakers) in South Kensington. During the year 44 workshops were added to the
register and 13 were removed.

" The subjoined Table summarises particulars of the 66 factories and 852 workshops on the register at the end of the year in North Kensington and South Kensington respectively.

Workshops, etc.North Kensington.South Kensington.Total for Whole Borough
Dressmakers.Laundries.Miscellaneous.Total.DressmakersLaundries.Miscellaneous.Total.
No. on Register69200773464098155572918
No. of Rooms therein114635121870750262139801,859

"The number of persons employed varies with the period of the year, being, of course,
greatest during the 'season': it exceeds 10,000.
HOME WORK.
An analysis of the outworkers registered, shows that some are employed on premises which
are factories or workshops within the meaning of the Factory and Workshops Act, 1901, others
work in domestic workshops, whilst the remainder are the genuine " Home Workers " engaged in
their homes on the work given out to them by various firms and contractors in Kensington and
other districts.
The number of outworkers belonging to each of these three classes is shown in the following
Table:—

Home Work.

Outworkers in Workshops or Factories116
Outworkers in Domestic Workshops32
Outworkers in their own Homes200
Total number of Outworkers348