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67
SECTION F
MISCELLANEOUS SERVICES
HEALTH PUBLICITY AND HEALTH EDUCATION
Home Safety
Accidents and tragedies caused through faulty oil heaters or by their mis-use
continued during the winter to make such headlines in the local press as "Girls should
not have died"; "Second death after oil heater blaze" ; "Fire baby dropped 30 ft. to
safety"; "Paraffin was lying around children saved, man died" .
The Public Health and Cleansing Committees agreed that the respective departments
should co-operate in this matter, and a poster and a leaflet were printed as under:-
Metropolitan Borough of Islington
Public Health Department
OLD OIL HEATERS - DISPOSAL
There were 727 fires in the Borough of Islington in 1963; many were caused by
faulty oil heaters. Several people lost their lives in the fires.
Old oil heaters are dangerous, and should not be used or resold. If you are not
certain whether your oil heater is safe, please get in touch with the Public Health
Department and an officer of the Council will call on you and advise you.
The Metropolitan Borough Council of Islington realise the danger of old oil
heaters, and have arranged for the Refuse Collectors to collect them with the ordinary
household refuse. If you would like an old oil heater to be taken away, please pierce
the tank to empty it of paraffin oil and leave it by the dustbin marked 'to be taken'.
V. FREEMAN
Medical Officer of Health "
The poster was bill-posted on sites throughout the Borough and the Chief
Librarian assisted in the distribution of leaflets. The Divisional Medical Officer of
the London County Council also assisted in publicity.
On 11th March, Dr. Burns, Deputy Medical Officer of Health, spoke to the Junction
Road Congregational Church Fellowship on the "Prevention of Accidents in the Home" and
on the 25th May and 1st June, he gave lectures on "Home Safety" to members of a local
branch of the St. John's Ambulance Brigade.
In 1964 the Home Secretary issued regulations banning the sale of children's
inflammable nightwear under the Children's Nightdresses Regulations, 1964, as a result
of increasing awareness of the fire hazards of children's nightwear. The number of
deaths and serious injuries owing to clothing igniting is reliably estimated to be 300
deaths and 1,000 injuries per year.
The Regulations apply to all nightdresses having both a finished garment chest
measurement not exceeding 38 inches and overall length not exceeding 46 inches. The
Regulations do not apply to any nightdresses which although coming within both of
these measurements is so made or designed that it is unsuitable for wear by a child
under the age of 13 years, nor do they apply to any nightdress which is designed as
an infant's gown suitable for wear by a newly born baby.