London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Willesden 1949
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Willesden]
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Factories with Mechanical. Power:
A survey was made of all the factories in June, 1949, and 477 or approximately 70 per cent of the
mechanical power factories were found to comply satisfactorily with the Sanitary Accommodation Order;
204 (about 30 per cent) were not entirely satisfactory.
Defects Remedied in 125 Factories:
| Character of Defects | Number Found | Number Remedied |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | 9 | |
| (b) Unsuitable or defective | 179 | 179 |
| 4 | 2 | |
| Total | 193 | 190 |
The majority of the factories which were situated in converted premises failed to comply with the
Order. Some of the buildings which have been adapted as factories were never meant to be used as such, and
they can never be made satisfactory. Some have suffered war damage and have been rebuilt, but they are
reinstated to their pre-war condition, which, in some cases, is regrettable.
Factories without Mechanical Power:
These are factories which the local authority is required to supervise for: (a) cleanliness, (b) overcrowding,
(c) temperature, (d) ventilation, (e) drainage of floors, and (/) sanitary conveniences. 23 of the 73 factories,
or approximately 30 per cent, satisfactorily complied with the Factories Act, 50, or approximately 70 per cent,
did not comply. Of these 50, 10 were considered totally undesirable, 18 required a considerable amount of
work to bring them up to a reasonable standard, and 22 had only minor defects. The non-mechanical power
factories, like many of the smaller mechanical power factories, are generally situated in converted premises.
Defects in 38 Factories:
| Character of Defects | Number Found | Number Remedied |
|---|---|---|
| Want of cleanliness | 11 | 8 |
| Overcrowding | 1 | 1 |
| Unreasonable temperature | - | - |
| Inadequate ventilation | 3 | 3 |
| Ineffective floor drainage | 3 | 2 |
| 8 | 7 | |
| 32 | 31 | |
| (c) Not separate for sexes | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 59 | 5.3 |
The number of factories which appeared to contravene the provisions of the Town and Country Planning
Act was 46, and these were referred to the Borough Engineer; 35 of these were found to be contravening the
Town Planning Act, and appropriate action was taken in every case.
Six factories which were considered completely unsatisfactory were reported to H.M. Factory Inspector.
No action, however, was taken under Section 4 of the Factories Act, 1948, which gives the Factory Inspector
power to seek an order from a Court of Summary Jurisdiction to close factories in premises which prima facie
do not permit of the conduct of work or processes with due regard to the safety, health and welfare of the
workpeople.