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77
was jerked off the forks on to the floor. Fortunately, the driver immediatly
braked the vehicle and the "passenger„suffered bruising to his heels.
32 complaints were received during the year, compared with 30 in 1969,
made up as follows:—
Inadequate ventilation of office and shop premises 6
Low temperatures of offices and shops - reasonable
temperature not being maintained - 4
Overheating of offices and work places - 5
Lack of thermometers - 2
No means of heating provided - 1
Office heater defective - 1
Alleged overcrowding - 1
Alleged unsafe condition of office windows - 1
Insufficient artificial lighting of office - 2
Defective covering of office floor - 1
Insufficient sanitary accommodation - 2
Unclean condition of shop - 1
Lack of seats for shop assistants - 1
General disrepair of office - 1
Unprotected prescribed dangerous machines - 1
Defective trolley used for transporting goods in warehouse 1
Lack of First Aid Box - 1
With regard to the complaints received due to overheating of offices,shops
and warehouses, where mechanical ventilation of air conditioning was not
provided, remedies have been found in some cases by:—
(a) Checking overcrowding and redistributing the staff.
(b) Whitening or shading of glass roofs and skylights.
(c) Checking all means of ventilation, windows, roof lights
and skylights, and ensuring that they are in proper
working order.
(d) Provision of electric fans in proximity to open windows.
Three complaints received were unjustified.
A matter of some concern is the lack of proper maintenance reported in
the case of some office blocks occupied only for a short time. Defective
flushing cisterns, defective and choked sanitary appliances, doors falling off
hinges and accumulations and deposits of refuse have been found in modern
offices.
A most unsatisfactory feature was the unsafe condition of casement
windows in a tall office block. The glazing appeared to be too heavy for the
casement frames into which it was fitted. In a high wind the glazing of one
opened casement window was blown from its frame onto the car parked below,
fortunately without causing personal injury. The owners' attention has been
drawn to this condition which is receiving attention. With tall buildings in
close proximity, wind movement in all conditions at all times cannot be