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Amendments to improve the Bill it has now reached the statute
book as the Offices, Shops and Railway Premises Act, 1963.
The Act results from some of the findings of the Gowers'
Committee of 1949 and though it does not include all the employments
mentioned in that Report, nevertheless, provision has been
made for the inclusion of some eight million workers in offices
and shops. For the very first time, the Act gives standards for
their safety, health and welfare on a similar basis to that built up
for industrial employees over the last century and a half. It means,
and this is of great importance, that where there has been a breach
of statutory duty by the employer, an employee may use such a
breach as ground for action for damages if he is injured as a result
of that negligence. In the past, an employee has had difficulty in
proving negligence on the part of his employer. Employers will
be under an obligation to notify the appropriate authority of an
accident causing death or where a person is disabled for more than
three days from doing his usual work. Again this is extremely
important, (a) the local authority inspectorate will have to investigate
and report (b) in time the Minister of Labour will be able to obtain
an overall picture as to the causes of accidents in shops and offices
through the media of Local Authorities reports and what remedies
may be required to reduce the causes.
Scope of Act
The Act applies to offices, shops and certain non-industrial
railway [ remises where persons are employed to work. The Act
does not apply to family businesses (close relatives to the occupier)
or where the total hours worked by all employees during the week
is not more than twenty-one hours.
The definitions of 'shop' and 'office' is very wide and includes
such premises as occupied by wholesale dealers or merchants,
launderettes, dyers and cleaners shops, garage service stations, mail
order offices, coal depots and any room used for office purposes.
Office purposes means and includes, writing, machine calculating,
drawing and the editorial preparation of matter for publication,
telephone and telegraph operating.
There are a variety of measures to be observed by employers
°f labour and on owners of buildings including, means of escape,
lire appliances and drill, sanitary accommodation, washing facilities
'hot and cold water) Ventilation (fresh air) temperature not to be
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