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This type of action has been very effective in factories where safe and
healthy working conditions can be enforced and this is particularly so because
the employer has a duty to the persons he employs and the methods of working can
also be regulated in many cases. The law which requires that all portable gas or
electric heating appliances sold shall be provided with a proper guard is an
advance in the field of home safety although its full effect is unlikely to be
seen for some years.
Improvements in the conditions of living in the home still depends largely
on the provision of new and better houses.
Legislation to encourage the improvement of existing houses by the provision
of baths, hot water supply, etc., has not proved very effective in Poplar and
indeed the quality of materials and workmanship used in the construction of many
of the older houses in the Borough would not justify the expenditure of large
sums on these houses to-day.
In the meantime some standards will remain low. The Pood Hygiene Regulations
which came into force immediately after 1955 depend for their effectiveness partly
on good premises and partly on the hygienic behaviour of the food handlers. The
standards for premises and equipment will be enforced by the local authority and
these will encourage hygienic behaviour but the real improvement in the way food
is handled depends on public opinion and it is unreasonable to expect purchasers
to be unduly critical whilst their own facilities at home for the preparation of
food are totally inadequate.
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