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20
Factories
There were 4,657 factories on the register at the end of the year. Statistics of matters dealt with
by the Health Department under Parts I and VIII of the Factories Act, 1961, are given in Tables 22
and 23, pages 72 and 73.
Outworkers
Returns made by 242 employers, together with 202 notifications from other local authorities,
accounted for a total of 2,349 outworkers of whom 1,187 were residing in the City of Westminster.
(Table 24, page 73.)
Basement bakehouses
The Factories Act 1961, which re-enacted with amendments the Act of 1937, requires that a
'basement bakehouse' shall not be used unless a Certificate of Suitability has been issued by a
District Council (such as the City of Westminster) and that the premises were so used in 1937.
A 'basement bakehouse' is defined as a bakehouse, any baking room of which is so situate that
the surface of the floor is more than three feet below the footway of the adjoining street or of the
ground adjoining or nearest to the room, and 'baking room' means any room used for baking or for
any process incidental thereto.
The Act requires that the District Council shall, every five years, carry out an examination of every
basement bakehouse in their area in respect of which a Certificate of Suitability has been issued.
The Certificate is an indication that the Council is satisfied that the bakehouse is suitable as such,
as regards construction, height, light, ventilation, and other hygenic respects.
There are three basement bakehouses in Westminster for which Certificates of Suitability are in
force. The next quinquennial review is scheduled for 1969.
Food Shops and Catering Premises—Inspection
The estimated number of food and catering premises in Westminster on the 31 st December, 1966,
was 6,783, categorized as shown in Table 25, page 74.
With the improvement in the position regarding the recruitment of Public Health Inspectors, it
was possible to allocate additional staff to the food section, which deals essentially with food
shops, catering establishments, markets and stalls, to assist in the heavy and sustained duties, which
in Westminster are in many ways unique.
During the year, 10,783 visits were made by the Public Health Inspectors of the Section, and
543 informal notices were served in respect of matters requiring remedial action.
General Cleaning and Maintenance of Food Premises
Most of the routine cleaning in Westminster restaurants is undertaken by male staff who are
frequently engaged on a casual, short term basis. Some such employees may be described as
social misfits and drifters looking only for a night's money and a meal or two and who may not be
seen again. Rarely does one see a male cleaner on his knees. The mop, with all its inefficiency,
remains his essential tool, clearing the unobstructed areas but consolidating filth beneath fixed
equipment. Neither advice nor rebuke from the management influences these people for the better
and the management's main concern is usually to prevent them walking out during busy periods. So
much is this so, that inspectors have been faced with willing, if somewhat diffident, managements
who have sought to delegate their responsibilities by asking inspectors to call more frequently in
order to keep their staff in line.
Another factor affecting cleanliness is the overcrowding of equipment. Economic running of
business in highly rented premises often leads to the banking of equipment on irregular lines with
inadequate space between units, conditions in which nothing less than a major shut-down will
permit efficient cleaning. There are no legal requirements for the sizes of kitchens related to the
area where the public are served. The principal firms of catering planners have codes of practice,
but all too often these are either brushed aside by the caterer or sacrificed in the interests of selling
equipment—though it must be said that catering engineers have made great strides in making
available equipment which is easy to clean. The impact of the Offices, Shops & Railway Premises
Act, 1963, on restaurant kitchens has yet to be felt, but if the permitted number of persons in a
kitchen is to be controlled, and regard paid to space occupied by plant and appliances, a formidable
task lies ahead with a heavy responsibility on the caterer. The results, however, may be beneficial
to general hygiene.
Then again ventilation is an important factor. Regulation 21 of the Food Hygiene Regulations
lays down that "except in the case of a humidity-controlled or temperature-controlled chamber
suitable and sufficient means of ventilation shall be provided in every food room and suitable and
sufficient ventilation shall be maintained there" but being drafted to provide for wide interpretation
throughout the country, it is of little practical value in the centre of London. In most catering