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 1955
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
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Defects found
| Particulars | No. of defects found | No. of defects remedied | No. of defects referred | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| To H. M. Inspectors | By H. M. Inspectors | |||
| Want of cleanliness | — | — | 5 | 2 |
| Overcrowding | — | — | — | — |
| Unreasonable temperature | — | — | — | — |
| Inadequate ventilation | — | — | — | — |
| Ineffective drainage of floors | — | — | — | — |
| Sanitary conveniences | ||||
| (a) insufficient | 3 | 3 | — | — |
| (b) unsuitable or defective | 26 | 19 | — | 2 |
| (c) not separate for sexes | 2 | 1 | — | — |
| Other offences (not including offences relating to Homework) | — | — | — | — |
| TOTALS | 31 | 23 | 5 | 4 |
During 1955, no prosecutions were instituted under the
Factories Act, 1937, although the Council issued a formal warning
to the owner of a factory who had not complied with certain
requirements of the Act.
Outworkers
The following table shows the nature of the work carried out by the one hundred and ninety home workers on the register of outworkers during 1955:-
| Nature of work | Number |
|---|---|
| Wearing apparel - making, etc. | 119 |
| Artificial flowers | 5 |
| Paper bags, etc. | 10 |
| Carding etc. of buttons, etc. | 3 |
| Stuffed toys | 28 |
| Furniture and upholstery | 2 |
| Lampshades | 2 |
| Textile weaving | 12 |
| Chocolates and sweetmeats | 7 |
| Curtains | 2 |
| 190 |
During the year, three hundred and thirteen inspections
of outworkers' premises were made, but in no case was action
necessary to prevent work being carried on in unwholesome
premises.
No instance of infectious disease occurring in premises,
where home work is carred on, was reported during the year.
Basement Bakehouses
The Factories Act, 1937, (Section 54), requires the Council
to carry out (in every fifth year) an examination of all
basement bakehouses in the borough, for which certificates of
suitability have been issued and are still in force.
The quinquennial inspections for the year 1953/54 were