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Occupational Health
The organisation and mode of operation of the
Staff (Occupational) Health Service was set
out in fair detail in the 1968 annual report
Only advances and developments in the service
during 1970 will be described here
There was again an increase in the number
of staff requesting medical consultations and
medical examinations The medical check
idea seems to be gaining ground slowly Also
it was found at these medical consultations
that employees appear to be increasingly
aware of the health aspects of their occupations,
The number of staff referred by departmental
heads for advice on medical fitness with respect
to occupation increased slightly The difficulty
of finding suitable work for the physically
handicapped manual worker increased with the
introduction of more team work in road repair
and cleansing work
The annual survey of toxic substances used
in the council s establishments showed that
no new toxic substanceswere apparently being
used bv staff
During a dry very hot spell of weather in
September 1969 a coarse black dust was found
in considerable amount on the grass at Cranford
Park The dust was thrown up in clouds by the
grass mowing machines and was causing
respiratory and skin disease in the two grounds
men The source of the black dust was a
complete mystery. There are no factories
within half a mile of Cranford Park and exhaust
fumes from aircraft and motor vehicles was
discounted as the cause on account of the great
amount of the dust present Samples were sent
for laboratory analysis and the dust was
eventually identified as the grass fungus
Pithomvces chartarum This is a very rare
fungus in England but it is common in New
Zealand where it causes disease in sheep who
have ingested the infected grass Research on
the effect of this mvcotoxic fungus on human
beings was commenced in 1970 in collaboration
with Dr P H Gregory of the Rothampstead
Experimental Station Harpenden and Dr M B
Ellis of the Commonwealth Mycological
Institute at Kew, Dr P H Gregory along with
Dr M E Lacey were the first persons to discover
this fungus in England
Miss Anne Griffin SRN( OHNC was appointed
occupational health nurse to the borough in
July 1970 The London Borough of Hounslow is
the first local health authority to make such an
appointment in this country, Miss Griffin
assisted with the health couselling of staff
with the training of first aid personnel and
supervision of first aid work and with the
occupational environmental hygiene visits to
the council s offices and workshops
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