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45
No firm appears to have a system of job placement based upon
medical examination, though it must be assumed that the employment
of disabled persons is influenced by the nature and degree of
disability. In fact one firm in which the post of factory nurse
is combined with that of welfare officer, an attempt is made by
the nurse to put disabled persons in suitable employment. In
another instance a works manager has adapted a machine so that it
could be used by a crippled person. It was reported that this
employee had been crippled for many years and after a period at
the adapted machine she slowly gained confidence and a brighter
outlook on life. The manager said he had been assured by efficiency
experts that her output was as good as any in the factory.
By co-operation between engineer, works foreman and a qualified
medical man others might receive similar benefit.;
Arrangements for Medical Attention
The appointed factory doctor visits all factories employing
"young persons"; and he also visits periodically those factories
where there is a statutory requirement for him to do so in respect
of industrial hazards,;
(a) Firms with One Hundred Employees and Over
Some eight factories out of the twenty-three in this group
have no first aid room and of these four have no trained first-aid
personnel available. No firm covered by this survey has a fulltime
medical officer. One receives a weekly visit by the wholetime
medical officer of the parent company outside the Borough.
The same firm has a trained nurse (S.R.N.) who shares her time
between the firm and another subsidiary,.; In another instance two
contiguous factories share doctor and nurse-consisting of a
weekly visit by a local general medical practitioner and the
services of a full time trained nurse and a full-time Red Cross
worker. The same firms have an arrangement with the local hospital
for emergency treatment.
Two other firms in this group have first-aid rooms with a
trained (S.R.N.) nurse in charge, but in both cases the nurse
undertakes other duties in connection wirh welfare and personnel
management.
In the remaining ten firms of this group, four of the firstaid
rooms are staffed by persons with first-aid certificates and
undertaking other duties. The other six firms have no fixed
staffing for first-aid purposes, and rely on a number of employees
having first-aid training. No extra pay is given for possession
Of a first-aid qualification.