View report page

Ill
34. MEDICAL EXAMINATION AND WELFARE OF STAFF
The Medical Suite at the Town Hall Annexe at present comprises two rooms. An
adjoining room will be made available early in 1966, when it will be used for the
following purposes:—
(1) as a first aid and rest room;
(2) for medical examination of staff;
(3) for vaccination and immunisation of staff.
FIRST AID AND REST ROOM
Section 24 of the Offices, Shops and Railway Premises Act, 1963, requires that
first aid boxes, equipped to certain specifications according to the number of staff
employed, shall be provided for all office premises, but, where a first aid room is
maintained and arrangements exist for securing the immediate treatment in that
room of persons who become ill or suffer injury, exemption from the requirement to
supply first aid boxes may be given.
It was decided, therefore, to provide a first aid room for use by members of the
staff of all departments situated at the Town Hall. The Suite has now been equipped
in such a way to satisfy the requirements of the Act relating to a first aid room and
is staffed by two nurses, one part-time and one full-time, both of whom are state
registered. A medical officer is available for consultation when necessary.
Application has been made for exemption from the requirements of the Act relating
to first aid boxes, and it is anticipated that this will be granted.
During the first few weeks in which the Medical Suite was being used for first aid
purposes 19 patients attended for treatment, most cases being of minor injury or
illness such as cuts and headaches.
MEDICAL EXAMINATION OF STAFF
All staff are required to complete a medical questionnaire before appointment.
From the information given, it may be decided that the candidate is fit to carry out
the duties of the appointment, or it may be considered necessary for the candidate
to be given a medical examination to determine his fitness.
Certain staff, however, always require medical examination. Included in this
category are staff at special risk (such as those employed for driving motor vehicles
and those whose duties involve working at heights) and all residential staff in
children's homes.
Employees with a history of illness who are for admission to the Manual Workers'
Sickness Pay Scheme are examined to assess whether they should be excluded from
the benefits of this scheme when suffering from that particular illness. Thus those
who might otherwise completely fail to qualify for admission to the scheme can be
granted sick pay when absent as a result of other conditions.
Medical examinations are also carried out as required by the Department of
Education and Science for teachers not previously employed as such by a local
education authority in the United Kingdom, and all students residing in the Borough
who are for admission to a teachers' training college.
Depending on the nature of work, some candidates are required to attend for a
chest X-ray unless they can produce written evidence of a satisfactory X-ray result
during the preceding twelve months. Staff in this category are those who work in