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by this legislation but occupiers are responsible for complying with the requirements of the Act without
prior notice from the local authority.
Occupiers are required to notify the enforcing authority of certain specified types of accident should
they occur to persons working in their premises. This is to enable enforcing authorities to detect
breaches of the Act and to advise occupiers on measures to prevent the recurrence of similar accidents.
Notification will also provide statistical information which will assist the Minister of Labour to assess
the need for preventive measures. During the year, notification was received of forty-eight accidents.
One of these involved a fatality, but subsequent investigation showed that no hazard existed at the
site of the incident and that the accident was due to the victim's medical condition. Post-mortem
examination revealed that the deceased suffered from heart disease, and the Coroner was satisfied
that death was due to natural causes. Twenty-five of the accidents were due to slipping or falling.
In two instances, investigation of the incidents revealed the existence of hazards, and the occupiers
are co-operating in adopting the suggested remedies.
The Act empowers enforcing authorities, if they are satisfied that compliance is "not reasonably
practicable ",to grant exemption from the requirements relating to room space, temperature, sanitary
accommodation and running water, and, in certain circumstances, exemption can also be granted from
the requirements relating to first aid provisions. During the year, 16 applications for exemption were
received. Of these, 10 were in respect of first aid provisions and with one exception were granted.
The remainder concerned various shops adjoining underground railway premises and the applications
were found to be unnecessary as the premises did, in fact, comply with the statutory requirements.
Section 60 of the Act requires the local authority to make a report to the Minister on their proceedings
under the Act. The form of report has been prescribed by Order and appears in Table No. 10 on
page 34.
Factories.
There were 1,354 factories on the register at the end of the year, 240 less than last year. A report on
the administration by the Department of matters under Parts I and VII of the Factories Act, 1961, is
given in Tables 12 and 13, page 35.
Outworkers.
Fifty-one employers submitted lists in respect of a total of 416 outworkers (162 contractors and
254 workpeople). Of these, fourteen contractors and fifteen workpeople operated in the Borough.
The nature of the different classes of work and the numbers of outworkers engaged is indicated in
Table 14, page 35.
Heating Appliances—Fireguards.
The Consumer Protection Act, 1961, superseded the Heating Appliances (Fireguards) Act, 1952, but
the Heating Appliances (Fireguards) Regulations, 1953, were re-enacted without amendment.
Regular inspection was made of appliances exposed for sale by retailers, and no new or secondhand
heaters were found which failed to comply with the statutory requirements.
Hairdressers and Barbers.
The Council's Byelaws regulating these establishments came into operation on 18th December, 1955.
There are in the Borough 162 registered hairdressers and barbers; regular inspections were made
and conditions generally were found to be satisfactory.
Pet Animals.
The Pet Animals Act, 1951, provides for a system of inspection and annual licensing of pet shops
by local authorities, a fee of 10s. being payable for each licence, nine of which were issued during the
year. A few of the licensees keep puppies and other mammals for sale but mostly they deal in cage
birds, goldfish and tropical fish. The public health inspectors made fifteen visits to the premises
concerned and inspected the stalls licensed to sell pets in the street markets. Conditions under which
the livestock was kept were found to be satisfactory.
The Animal Boarding Establishment Act, 1963, came into operation on the 1st January, 1964, and
requires animal boarding establishments to be licensed by the Council on payment of a fee. At present
there are no such establishments in the Borough.
Poisons.
At the end of the year the names of fifty traders were on the Council's list of persons entitled to sell
poisons included in Part II of the Poisons List (Pharmacy and Poisons Acts, 1933-1941), the number of
premises concerned being fifty-nine. Details are given in Table 15, page 36.