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9
The number of registered premises at the end of the year was 8,722 this owing to cancellations,
being slightly less that the previous year. The number of new registrations during the year was
410 as compared with 317 in 1967, and although this is numerically greater, as a percentage of
inspections carried out, it is 12% as compared with 30% in 1967. This tends to indicate that the
total number of registerable premises in the City is about 11,500 as compared with the 14,000
registerable premises previously estimated.
In the majority of cases it has been found that the simpler provisions of the Act give rise to
the largest number of contraventions i.e. the want ofa firstaidkit, an abstract and/or a thermometer.
A number of instances of overcrowding were found, usually relating to individual rooms but
in a few cases relating to particular premises as a whole. In the latter case the firms concerned
were usually aware of the problem as it impeded their own efficiency. As quite a number of
accidents also appear to involve people either falling over, or after falling, striking against
furniture and other fittings, it could indicate that the statutory standard might not be satisfactory.
The standard laid down in the Act is (a) that each person shall have 400 cubic feet of air space,
any height above 10 feet being disregarded for the purpose and no allowance being made for fixtures
and fittings, or, (b) that, having regard to furniture, and fittings, machinery plant and other
things, a room should not be so overcrowded as to cause risk of injury to health. In practice
only the "400 cubic feet per person" standard can be effectively used and in some cases this
has not in our view been found to be satisfactory. It is felt that the minimum square footage per
person should be in the region of 50 square feet per person rather than 40 i.e. height above 8 ft.
being discounted,, and an amendment to the existing legislation would be welcome.
Heating and ventilation continue to be a problem particularly in buildings constructed for
speculative purposes. With regard to heating it is usually a case of the temperature being too
high rather than too low and the minimum temperature of 60.8 F. (16°C) has been achieved in all
but a very few cases even in the severest winter conditions.
The tendency not to have through ventilation in offices leads to an inadequate circulation of
air. The Association of Heating and Ventilation Engineers have suggested standards of air
change per hour having regard to the type of use to which rooms, or parts of premises are put, but
these have not in all circumstances been found to be sufficient and so far there has not been
a legal standard set.
This year saw the publication of a local Authority Circular giving standards of lighting in
registered premises according to the type of work being carried on there. The recommended levels
are much below the values given by the Illuminating Engineering Society which are published in
the same Circular. Past experience indicated that minimum standards usually tend to become
maximum standards and as a result no doubt difficulty will be experienced in securing any improvement
to lighting in registered premises particularly those of an older type.
At the end of the year an Advisory leaflet by the Department of Employment and Productivity
was produced giving guidance on the provision of washing facilities and accommodation for
clothing. This will make the enforcement of these particular Sections of the Act easier in the
future.
Many instances are still found of office machinery being unguarded. Usually it is the hand
operated knife guillotine which the main offender, but addressing machines, duplicators, etc.
still account for a large number of contraventions. Many of these machines are available on the
open market without suitable means of guarding. This appears to be a loophole in the legislation
and it would be helpful if the Minister introduced Regulations prohibiting the sale, or letting for
hire, for use in premises in Great Britain of such machinery without the relevant guard being
attached. Section 20 (3) (c) gives him power to do this. The attitude of some manufacturers is
that they will fit these safety devices as an optional extra but employers in general seem to be
unaware that such machinery is intrinsically dangerous and a number of accidents still occur
each year from the absence of effective guards. However, the Minister did make Regulations
with regard to lifts and hoists in registered premises and these will come into full effpct in the
early part of 1969. Lifts are usually inspected each year for insurance purposes and the insurance
companies' maintenance or engineering departments will be given the power to carry out these
inspections. If defects are found they will serve a copy of the report on the Local Authority who
will ensure that the necessary repairs are carried out.
The total number of accidents notified to the Corporation during the course of the year was
328. This is similar to the previous years and the majority of them were of a minor nature, again
mainly due to people slipping on staircases and in passages. As a matter of interest a statistical
analysis was made of such accidents and it was found that girls between the age of 15 and 20
and men of the age between 55 and 60 were particularly vulnerable age groupings. A distribution
curve of accidents was also made and it appears that the majority of accidents occur in the
afternoon rising to a peak round about 2.30 and again at 4.00 and just after 5.00 in the evening.
The inference of the 4.00 to 5.00 p.m. peaks is obvious and there seems to be no easy answer
to 'human nature. The 2.30 peak is interesting as there is no apparent reason why this should