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
Kensington 1929
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
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37
One instance of infectious disease occurring in premises where home work is carried on was
reported during the year. In this case a child was notified as suffering from diphtheria and upon
investigation the patient's father was found to be a tailor working at home. The child was
removed to hospital and all necessary precautions were taken.
The appended table summarises the work for the year of the Women Health Officers under the Factory and Workshop Acts, so far as it is capable of being expressed in this form:—
| 1. No. of Factory Inspections | 124 |
| 2. „ Workshop „ | 296 |
| 3. „ Home Workers' Inspections | 175 |
| 4. „ Work Place „ | 21 |
Home Office Tables.
The following tables contain a summary of the inspections made and the defects found and
remedied in workshops and factories within the Borough, where men, women, or young persons
are employed :—
1.—Inspections.
| Premises. | Number of | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Inspections. | Written Notices. | Prosecutions. | |
| Factories (including Factory Laundries) | 320 | 33 | - |
| Workshops (including Workshop Laundries) | 716 | 42 | — |
| Workplaces (other than Outworkers' premises) | 163 | 4 | - |
| Total | 1199 | 79 | - |
II.—Defects Found.
| Particulars. | Number of Defects. | Number of Prosecutions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Found. | Remedied. | Referred to H.M. Inspector. | |||
| Want of cleanliness | 85 | 85 | — | _ | |
| Want of ventilation | 5 | 5 | — | — | |
| Overcrowding | 1 | 1 | — | — | |
| Want of drainage of floors | 1 | 1 | — | — | |
| Other nuisances | 21 | 21 | — | — | |
| Sanitary accom-modation | insufficient | 1 | 1 | _ | — |
| unsuitable or defective | 32 | 32 | — | — | |
| not separate for sexes | 6 | 6 | — | — | |
| Illegal occupation of underground bakehouse (S. 101) | 1 | 1 | - | _ | |
| Breach of special sanitary requirements for bakehouses (SS. 97 to 100) | - | - | - | _ | |
| Other Offences (Excluding offences relating to outwork and offences under the Sections mentioned in the Schedule to the Ministry of Health (Factories and Workshops Transfer of Powers) Order, 1921) | 5 | 4 | 1 | - | |
| Total | 158 | 157 | 1 | — | |
* Including those specified in Sections 2, 3, 7 and 8 of the Factory and Workshop Act as remediable under the Public
Health Acts.
III.—Outwork in Unwholesome Premises (Section 108).
No case came to my notice during the year of outwork being carried on in unwholesome premises.