London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
City of London 1971
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London, City of ]
This page requires JavaScript
Part VIII of the Act Outwork (Sections 133 and 134)
| Nature of work 1 | No. of outworkers in August list required by Section 133 (1) (c) 2 | No. of cases of default in sending lists to the Council 3 | No. of prosections for failure to supply lists 4 | No. of instances of work in unwholesome premises 5 | Notices served 6 | Prosecutions 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wearing apparel (Making, etc.) | 200 | - | - | - | - | - |
| TOTAL | 200 | - | - | - | - | - |
Outwork and the inspection of outworkers' premises etc.
| Lists received from City Firms employing outworkers | 24 |
| Names and addresses of City outworkers received from other Authorities | 11 |
| Names and addresses of outworkers resident outside the City, employed by City firms transmitted to other Authorities. | 200 |
No case of infectious diseases was reported in connection with outworkers' premises in
the City.
SANITARY CIRCUMSTANCES
The general sanitary supervision has been maintained and in this connection 16,837 inspections
have been made. As a consequence of these inspections, it was necessary to serve 2,289
Intimation Notices.
Tenement Houses were inspected and the only common lodging house in the City was kept
under regular supervision.
ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION
CITY OF LONDON (VARIOUS POWERS) ACT, 1954
CLEAN AIR ACT, 1956
CLEAN AIR ACT, 1968
CHIMNEY HEIGHT REGULATIONS, 1969
CLEAN AIR (EMISSION OF GRIT AND DUST FURNACES) REGULATIONS, 1970
The above-mentioned Acts and Regulations provide a broad basis for controlling pollution
of the atmosphere in the City and are enforced by the City's Public Health Inspectors, who
carried out 1,899 inspections and observations during the year. The following statistics indicate
the extent of the work undertaken in this particular field:-
1. Initial inspections — 549
2. Re-inspections - 182
3. Observations made — 583
4. Contraventions noted - 31
5. Verbal intimations — 41
6. Notices served - 6
7. Inspections in connection with
special survey of SO2 concentration — 249
While making a study of SO2 pollution in the City area it has been observed that in the
past five years most areas in the British Isles showed a steady decline in the concentration of
SO2. In the provinces there has been a decline of about 20% and in the Greater London area
a decline of about 10% in this concentration, but the level in the City of London has increased
and the number of days in the year on which the level of SO2 in the air has exceeded 500 micrograms
per cubic meter is greater than in any other similar area. It is somehwat disturbing that
while there appears to be a decrease of SO2 in the surrounding areas, the intensity of redevelopment
and the installation of larger furnaces using oil of a high sulphur content seem to have
aggravated the problem of SO2 pollution in the City.
These conditions have been a source of concern and, as a result, research into the problem
was carried out by a number of my staff.
17