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REPORT ON FACTORY INSPECTION.
The Factories Acts, 1937-48, have three main weaknesses. Firstly, they do not cover all factories; there
are 11,000,000 persons who are not protected by the Acts: domestic workers, transport workers, office workers,
electricians, painters, employees at cinemas and theatres, etc. Secondly, there are not enough factory inspectors
to supervise the factories adequately. In 1948 the Ministry of Labour employed fewer than 400 factory
inspectors to supervise over a quarter of a million factories; Willesden shares a staff of three factory inspectors
with Paddington. Lastly, the local authorities with their specialised staff of sanitary inspectors have very few
duties in respect of factories.
The Willesden Borough Council has duties in the supervision of outworkers and basement bakehouses,
the provision of sanitary conveniences in the case of all factories, and the supervision of cleanliness, overcrowding,
temperature, ventilation, and drainage of floors in the case of factories in which mechanical power is not used.
The local authority is also responsible for certifying that the provisions for escape in the case of fire are suitable.
In brief, apart from the elementary duties of supervising the lavatory accommodation, the local authority has
little power in the supervision of the large majority of factories, i.e., where mechanical power is used.
Supervision of Sanitary Accommodation:
The Council must see that sufficient and suitable sanitary conveniences, well-lit and separate for the
sexes, are provided in all factories and that they are maintained and kept clean. The Sanitary Accommodation
Regulations, 1938, also laid down rules of ventilation, privacy, screening, positioning, proper doors, and
fastenings for the lavatories.
There are 771 factories in the Borough of Willesden, 698 using mechanical power and 73 non-mechanical.
The greater number of factories are in engineering (128), motor and cycle repair (71), dressmaking (60), and
food manufacture (49). The factories vary in size from the employment of less than five persons to more than
1,500, the larger factories being in engineering, food manufacture, and printing. The majority of the factories
are medium to small in size; more than half employ less than ten workers and less than one in ten (68) employ
more than 100 workers. Some of the factories, especially in the Willesden Green area, are in converted houses
or backyards. There are three main industrial areas in Willesden: (i) the north-east end of the North Circular
Road area, (ii) the Park Royal area in the Stonebridge Ward, and (iii) the Church End area, where the main
factories are British Thomson-Houston and Hall Telephone Accessories. In addition, there are 658 outworkers,
the greatest number (285) employed in the making of clothes.