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69
FACTORIES AND WORKSHOPS ACT, 1901.
Section 132 of this Act reads :—
"The Medical Officer of Health of every District Council shall,
in his annual report to them, report specifically on the administration
of this Act in workshops and workplaces, and he shall send a copy
of his annual report or so much of it as deals with this subject to the
Secretary of State."
In the case of factories, the duties of a District Council are few.
The Council is charged with the duty of seeing that every factory
ir its district is provided with means of escape in case of fire. This
duty is carried out by the Surveyor's department. The other duty in
regard to factories is the enforcement of Section 22 of the Public
Health Amendment Act, 1890. The inspection of factories comes
within the province of H.M. Inspector of Factories. Where any
sanitary defect is discovered by him in a factory, which is remediable
under the law relating to public health, and not under the Factory
and Workshop Act, he informs the Council of the defect, and it is
the duty of the Council to arrange for the remedy of the defect. The
Factory Inspector also notifies to the local authority any matter coming
under his notice which should be attended to by the local
authority.
Ten such references from H.M. Inspector of Factories were
received during the year; 3 related to want of separate sanitary accommodation
for the sexes, I to insufficient sanitary accommodation,
and I to a defective water closet. There was one reference to each
of the following conditions :—
Defective drainage of washhouse floor,
Dirty roof of washhouse,
Defective floor of washhouse,
Excessive steam in washhouse,
Unventilated gas-heater in workroom.
LAUNDRIES.
Laundries do not come within the definition of factory and workshop;
but under section 103 of the Act, they are, as far as sanitation
and means of escape from fire are concerned, to be treated as factories
if mechanical power is used; if mechanical power is not used, as