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Lice infestation at this hostel continues to present problems and difficulties. There was an
overall improvement in the level of infestation despite an increase in the number of verminous
beds found towards the end of the year. The beds are inspected in the early morning by a public
health inspector, as this has been found to be the best time to view the bedding as the beds
have just been vacated and are more likely to have vermin easily visible on the sheets. At the
end of the year no men had remained in the hostel who had vermin on their bedding and who had
received a notice to attend at the cleansing station. Rather than stay and be bathed or risk
complaint being made, men opted to leave the hostel. It was therefore unnecessary to request
formal action. However, because men do attempt to regain admittance after a while, formal
procedure may become necessary. Taking the 84-bed dormitory as an example, an average of
eight verminous beds were found during each visit.
Some of the migrant hostel dwellers carry the vermin around from place to place. These men
act as reservoirs and then infest other men who regularly live in Middlesex House and because
of poor clothing and washing habits seem to remain in a fairly constant state of infestation. Because
of this, men are being encouraged to attend the Cleansing Station at regular intervals—
sometimes at frequently as once a week.
Accommodation such as that which exists in Middlesex Street should not be tolerated in the
future. This little corner of E. I. could be redeveloped to provide shopping and arcade facilities
adjacent to Petticoat Lane, with a multi-storey hostel to accommodate men, situated in a position
which would secure the privacy of both commercial and residential sections of the community.
OFFICES, SHOPS AND RAILWAY PREMISES ACT 1963
The accelerated progress in securing the general inspection of offices which has been
achieved in recent years has been maintained during the year under review, when 2,168 general
inspections were made. All aspects of the Act have received attention, but the provision of satisfactory
means of ventilation, especially in air-conditioned buildings, is a problem which had
continued to demand much time and consideration by the Public Health Inspectors engaged in
the enforcement of the Act. As this highly complex technical problem was dealt with at some
length in my last Annual Report there is no need for further observations at the present time.
The Act was introduced to make "fresh provision for securing the health, safety and welfare
of persons employed to work in office or shop premises". As in much comparable modern legislation,
many sections give the Minister power to make regulations prescribing various requirements
to ensure that the health provisions are implemented in detail. From time to time more
new regulations are enacted, for example, arising from the provisions of Section 20 of the Act,
the Offices, Shops and Railway Premises (Hoists and Lifts) Regulations, 1968, came into
operation on 28th May, 1969. These Regulations place upon the owner of the premises the
obligation to ensure that every lift shall be thoroughly examined by a competent person at least
once in every period of six months. Each report of the result of every examination made in
pursuance of these Regulations must be preserved and kept readily available for inspection by
any inspector for two years after the date of the signing of the Report.
Further, where the examination indicates that the lift cannot continue to be used with
safety unless certain repairs are carried out immediately or within a specified time, the person
making the report shall within twenty-eight days of the completion of the examination send a
copy of the report to the enforcing authority. In practice it has been found that this six-monthly
inspection is not being adhered to. The usual answer gnven is that it is up to the engineer who
makes the examination. This means that on 28th May, 1971, many lifts will not have been thoroughly
examined four times and that four reports of these examinations will not be available
to the enforcing authority by this date.
The intention of the Lift Regulation appears to be to secure proper construction and continued
maintenance in the interests of safety. When the four reports are available for inspection
it will give the inspector a guide as to the degree to which the lift has been properly maintained.
The problems which have arisen from an administrative point of view are summarised below.
Often the owner does not realise that he is responsible for havingthe lift thoroughly examined
every six months. Neither does he appreciate that the report of the examination may have to be
forwarded to the enforcing authority at his expense, may be used against him in legal proceedings,
and that the competent person who has been directed by him to make the thorough examination
may be charged with giving evidence against him by the enforcing authority.
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