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62
Hairdressers' and Barbers' Premises
The Council has made byelaws under Section 282 of the Middlesex
County Council Act, 1944 for the purpose of securing the cleanliness of
any premises in their district used for the purpose of carrying on the
business of a hairdresser or barber and of the instruments, towels, equipment
and materials used in the premises. Every person using any such
premises shall keep exhibited in a suitable place a copy of the byelaws.
These establishments are subject to the provisions of the Shops Acts which
ensure there shall be a sufficient number of sanitary conveniences for the
staff employed, and that the premises shall be properly heated and
ventilated. The same Act regulates the early closing days, the assistants'
half holidays and the arrangements for the health and comfort of the
assistants. There are in the district 125 such establishments. They are
visited periodically to see that the requirements of the byelaws are being
complied with; at most establishments a very high standard of cleanliness
is maintained.
CONTROL OF NUISANCES
The Public Health Inspectors keep under supervision various buildings,
watercourses and parcels of land so as to be in a position to take
action to prevent unsatisfactory conditions arising.
Atmospheric Pollution
Legislation. The Clean Air Act of 1956 had four purposes:—
(i) to prohibit the emission of dark smoke from chimneys, railway
engines and vessels;
(ii) to prohibit the installation of new industrial furnaces unless they
are capable of being operated without emitting smoke;
(iii) to require that the emission of grit and dust from existing
industrial furnaces shall be minimised and that new industrial
furnaces burning pulverised fuel or large quantities of other solid
fuel shall be provided with grit-arresting equipment;
(iv) to empower local authorities to declare "smoke-control areas,"
in which the emission of smoke from chimneys will constitute an
offence.
Because of the need to give industry sufficient notice of proposals
which would involve changing boilers, furnaces, etc. to enable the new
legal requirements to be satisfied, the provisions of the Act relating to
industrial premises do not come into force until 1958. Other provisions,
however, came into operation on December 31st, 1956. These relate to
smoke from furnaces, smoke control areas and the extension of the Alkali
etc. Works Regulation Act to cover the emission of smoke, grit and dust
from premises controlled or to be controlled under the Act, colliery spoil
banks, and the constitution of the Clean Air Council.
Section 11 of the Act makes it an offence to emit smoke from any
building in a declared smoke control area, unless the emission was not
caused by the use of a fuel other than an authorised fuel. The Smoke