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 London 1907
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London, City of ]
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WORKSHOP
As mentioned in previous Reports, the sanitary defects generally found
in workshops may be classified under the following headings :—
Want of cleansing.
Insufficient ventilation.
Overcrowding.
The lack of separate and suitable water-closet acccommodation for
both sexes.
Much difficulty is experienced in dealing with the subject of ventilation
where the employment of gas rings and stoves, &c., is the polluting agent.
In many cases the only effectual remedy is mechanical ventilation, but this
is not always easy of application. Where chimney openings exist it is well
to place stoves or rings within them, and this has often been done on the
suggestion of your Officers. Injury to health is at times caused by defective
rubber tubing allowing gas to escape in small quantities, possibly unnoticed
by the workers. Both in the interests of health and for the prevention of
fire, this kind of pipe connection to gas rings should not be permitted.
* Details of Workshop Inspections, 1907.
| New workshops notified by H.M. Factory | ||
| Department | - | 213 |
| No Abstract of Act affixed where women and | ||
| young persons were employed — cases | ||
| notified to H.M. Factory Inspector | - | 93 |
| Domestic workshops registered | - | 10 |
| Statutory Certificates for cleansing issued by | ||
| Medical Officer of Health | - | 205 |
| Outworkers working in the City notified | ||
| to the Corporation | - | 485 |
| Outworkers notified by Corporation to outside | ||
| districts | - | 16,830 |
| Complaints— | ||
| From H.M. Factory Inspector | 21 | |
| General | 15 | |
| Total number of complaints — | 36 | |
| Initial inspections (workrooms) | 302 | |
| Periodical inspections | 2,399 | |
| Re-inspections (sanitary work in hand)- | 3,143 | |
| Workers employed— | 5,844 | |
| Men | 7,678 | |
| Women | 8,203 | |
| Notices served— | 15,881 | |
| Intimation | 579 | |
| Statutory | 265 | |
| 844 | ||
* For details of Women Sanitary Inspectors' work, see page 88.
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