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
City of Westminster 1937
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Westminster, City of]
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Temperature.—A new provision requires a temperature of not less than 60 degrees
to be maintained after the first hour in workrooms in which a substantial proportion
of the work is done sitting and does not involve serious physical effort.
Basement Bakehouses.—Section 54 re-enacts existing law prohibiting the use of
basement bakehouses other than those previously existing which were certified as
suitable by the local authority. It also strengthens the law in two ways:—
(1) Provision is made for the Local Authority to review their certificates in the
first year after the Act comes into force and every five years thereafter.
The occupier may appeal to the Courts against the Council's decision to
revoke a certificate.
(2) A basement bakehouse which is not used as a bakehouse for a period of
twelve months must not be so used again.
The prohibition is to be enforced by the Local Authority.
Underground Workrooms.—An important new provision prohibits work being
carried on in any underground room which is certified by H.M. Inspector of Factories
as unsuitable as regards construction, height, light or ventilation, or on any hygienic
ground, or on the ground that adequate means of escape from fire are not provided.
Abstracts.—The Medical Officer of Health is required to notify H.M. Inspector of
Factories of any factory in which no abstract of the Act is affixed in accordance with
the Act. This requirement was previously confined to factories employing women
and young persons.
Regulations and orders in force under previous Acts will continue in force until
varied or revoked.
These new and other extended provisions will entail additional duties for the
officers of the Department.
Common Lodging Houses.
There are 5 common lodging houses in the City, 4 for men and 1 for women, viz.:—
| Licensed to receive:— | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men. | Women. | |
| 16, Strutton Ground | 201 | — |
| Bruce House, Kemble Street | 716 | — |
| 33, Great Peter Street | 80 | — |
| 7, St. Ann's Street | 565 | — |
| 28-30, Greencoat Place | — | 184 |
The City Council renewed all licences for a period of one year
from 1st July, 1937.
The duties of inspection involve visits both by day and by night and are
carried out by a male sanitary inspector for men's lodging houses and
the female sanitary inspector for the women's lodging house. During
the year, 166 inspections were made, 58 being between the hours of 6 p.m.
and 9 a.m. Conditions generally were found to be satisfactory.