Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Brent]
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Premises where the business of upholstering, stuffing or lining of bedding, toys and baby carriages
is carried on must be registered, the statutory fee being £1 0 0d. The Act does not cover the remaking of
an article, and consequently the standards of quality and cleanliness do not apply to articles being repaired.
There are seven premises on the register.
Four samples of filling materials were taken and submitted to the Analyst, and all were found to
be satisfactory.
OFFICES, SHOPS AND RAILWAY PREMISES ACT, 1963
The Act virtually came into force on the 1st August, 1964, and with certain exceptions applies to
retail shops, offices, wholesale premises and most warehouses, catering establishments and canteens, fuel
storage premises and certain railway premises. The exceptions are premises where only self-employed persons
work, businesses in which only immediate relatives of the employer are employed and other premises where
not more than 21 man hours weekly are normally worked.
Employers are required to register their premises and the number registered during the year
together with the number of persons employed is shown in Table 45.
The general requirements of the Act deal with matters affecting the safety, health and welfare of
employees and covers cleanliness; overcrowding; temperature; ventilation; lighting; sanitary conveniences;
washing facilities; drinking water; accommodation for clothing; seating arrangements; eating facilities where
provided in a shop; cleaning machinery and fencing exposed parts; training and supervision of persons working
at dangerous machines; prohibition of heavy work; first aid; penalisation of dangerous acts and interference
with equipment; dangerous conditions and practices; construction and maintenance of floors, passages and
stairs; and information for employees.
Public Health Inspectors are broadly speaking responsible for enforcing the general provisions of
the Act in offices, food shops, wholesale premises, warehouses, catering establishments open to the public,
and canteens in the Borough. The remainder of premises for which the Council is responsible are inspected
by the Shops Inspectors. The total number of general inspections made is shown in Table 46 and the defects
found and remedied in Table 47.
Under Section 46 of the Act, the Council have power to grant an exemption in respect of the requirements
regarding room space for employees, temperature, provision of sanitary conveniences and provision
of running water for washing facilities. No applications for exemption from the requirements was made
during the past year.
Employers are required to notify accidents to employees which cause the death of the injured person
or disables him for more than three days from doing his usual work. 58 non-fatal accidents were notified;
an analysis of their causation and injuries sustained is shown in Table 48. Each accident is investigated and
if necessary advice given to prevent a recurrence.
Enforcing authorities have power to prosecute in any case of infringement of the Act or Regulation.
However, during the first year or two of the operation of the Act it is best to proceed by way of advice and
warning and no prosecutions have yet been instituted by the Council.
ESTABLISHMENTS FOR MASSAGE AND SPECIAL TREATMENT
The registration of establishments for massage and special treatment is a function of the Borough
Council under Part XII of the Middlesex County Council Act, 1944.
During the year, 5 new licences were granted and 40 were renewed. All the applicants are suitable
persons to hold licences and their premises were found to be satisfactory.
RODENT CONTROL
Rodent Control, as approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (Infestation Branch) has
been carried out in the properties below:—
Business Premises 305
Borough Council Properties 78
Private Dwellings 2,155
Total 2,538
The cost of disinfestation of business premises amounted to £1,032 5 9d., and was recovered from the
occupiers. The service is free to occupiers of private dwellings.
In 1965, the Council decided that owing to the difficulty of recruiting staff, contracts with business
premises in the Willesden part of the area (there were no such contracts in Wembley) be not renewed. These
contracts had lapsed by the end of May, 1966.
Rodent Control in the Council's sewers is carried out by the Borough Engineer and Surveyor's
Department. Where surface rat infestation is due to faults in the connections of the house drains with the
sewer, the Borough Engineer and Surveyor's Department arranges for the pavement to be opened. Arising
from complaints of rat infestation, 142 drains were subject to smoke test and in 54 cases notices were served
requiring defects to be remedied.