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The Public Health Committee authorised the Chief and Deputy Chief
Public Health Inspectors to attend courses on noise abatement at the
South East Technical College. the courses were interesting and informative,
lecturers being drawn from industrial and national laboratories.
A very interesting conference held at the National Physical Laboratory
in June was attended by the Chief Public Health Inspector.
The Conference was organised by the Laboratory under its Director,
Sir Gordon Sutherland, F.R.S., and in conjunction with the National
Engineering Laboratory and the Building Research Station.
Numerous and varied subjects were dealt with covering many aspects
of noise, e.g. aero-engines, gears and ball-bearings, internal combustion
engines and so on. Noise problems in factories, sound insulation and
absorption, legislation, damage risk, industrial deafness, basic instrumentation
and sound level meters were among other subjects covered.
The printed list of acceptances at 16th June showed that over 300
delegates, (quite a number of whom were from overseas), were to attend.
Many eminent scientists from government and industrial laboratories,
universities and from industry in general were to be there. A number of
Chief Public Health Inspectors also had the pleasure of attending.
The newly passed Noise Abatement Act had been much publicised
and it was not surprising to see Mr. John Connell, founder and Secretary
of the Noise Abatement Society amongst the acceptors for the conference.
All the sessions were held in the Glazebrook Hall, a new building
constructed and fitted out as a meeting place for scientific conferences.
Radioactive Waste
The Annual Report for 1960 contained an item dealing with the
conference of members of councils and their officers in connection with
radioactive waste. Two further conferences were held in Hornchurch in
April and November, 1961.
The first was addressed by D. G. Arnott, B.Sc., Director of Radioisotopes
Laboratory, London Hospital on the Factory Acts, Radioactive
Substances Act, 1960, N.H.S. Codes of Practice and the M.R.C. report.
Mr. Arnott referred to the shortage of trained staff even in the Health
and Safety branches of the Atomic Energy Establishments and considered
that any initiative by local authorities in training staff against radioactivity
was to be commended.
Certain training courses are now available at Polytechnic colleges so
it is possible to have officers trained in this field.
Mr. Arnott considered that a centralised body was not in a position
to take immediate action in a local incident and that unless local
authorities were local watchdogs satisfactory safety schemes could not
be operated. A low level of training could be the means of preventing
a minor disaster.
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