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
Hillingdon 1972
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hillingdon]
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4,905 visits were made to this class of premises during 1972 and 523 Notices requiring various works as shown in the table below were served. Except where referred to in the paragraph on legal proceedings the defects were remedied by informal action.
| Defect | Number of Premises |
|---|---|
| Cleanliness | 183 |
| Overcrowding | 3 |
| Temperature | 105 |
| Ventilation | 53 |
| Lighting | 76 |
| Sanitary convenience | 180 |
| Washing facilities | 150 |
| Supply of drinking water | 1 |
| Accommodation for outdoor clothing | 10 |
| Seats or sitting facilities | 2 |
| Facilities for meals | 1 |
| Disrepair | 164 |
| Fencing exposed parts of machinery | 30 |
| First Aid Equipment | 142 |
| Other matters | 461 |
It was necessary to take legal action in respect of failure to notify the employment of persons,
failure to display an abstract, inadequate ventilation, absence of thermometer and fines totalling
£20 with £2 costs were imposed. Action in respect of a dirty W.C. compartment was discussed.
No action was necessary in respect of:
(a) The protection of young persons from dangerous machinery.
(b) The training of young persons working at dangerous machinery.
(c) The prohibition of heavy work.
It was not necessary to make any application to the local magistrates court for an order preventing
either work being carried on in premises that were considered to be dangerous or to prevent
any dangerous practices in those premises.
ACCIDENTS
A total of 67 accidents were investigated at premises registered under the Offices, Shops and
Railway Premises Act, during the course of the year, none of which was fatal. Table 2 sets out the
type of premises where accidents occured and the causes of the accidents.
Falls still continue to be the most prevalent cause of accidents. The only fatal accident in the
Borough since notification has been necessary was caused by a fall from a ladder and another from
a similar cause took place this year. During the year senior members of H.M. factory inspectorate
lectured at an in service training session on the guarding of dangerous machinery, organised for the
professional and technical staff of the department. The guarding necessary for several relatively
new pieces of equipment such as waste disposal units and refuse containers was fully discussed.
Many people fail to appreciate that there is a serious danger if any machine can be made to operate
with the guard removed.
The following action taken as part of accident investigation illustrates the wide variety of
causes of accidents. Over a period of time several accidents have occurred while loading or unloading
lorries at a local wholesale metal warehouse. The company were requested to make enquiries into
alternative methods available for tightening down the load. A new system was introduced to permit
the tension to be applied while standing on the ground avoiding falls and also providing a safer load.
Investigation into a bank employee's fall from a chair revealed that a comfortable well padded
chair had been provided the seat of which could be raised or lowered vertically and also be adjusted
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