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Section 5 authorizes the Secretary of State to name classes of work
by Order, which would render places injurious or dangerous to health.
If persons are employed in such places, a penalty of £10 is incurred.
Section 6 recites, "if any occupier of a factory, or workshop or laundry,
"or of any place from which any work is given out, or any contractor
"employed by any such occupier, causes or allows wearing apparel to be
"made, cleaned, or repaired in any dwelling-house or buildiDg occupied
"therewith, whilst any inmate of the dwelling-house is suffering from
"scarlet fever, or small-pox, then, unless he proves that he was not
"aware of the existence of the illness in the dwelling-house, and could
"not reasonably have been expected to become aware of it, he shall be
"liable to a fine not exceeding ten pounds."
It would be interesting to know why in framing this Act the authors
only included scarlet fever and small-pox. Other diseases are communicable
through articles of clothing.
Certain restrictions as to overtime of young persons and women, as
well as matters concerning the employment on the same day of children,
young persons and women inside and outside a factory or workshop, are
included in Sections 14, 15 and 16.
Bakehouses are cared for by Section 27. By the Act of 1878, only
bakehouses in places where more than 5,000 persons live, come within
the operations of some of its most important provisions. Now all bakehouses
share the same fate. "When I mention the fact that the Sections
provide for the periodical cleansing of the interior of bakehouses, and
prohibit them and their passages being used for sleeping purposes, the
importance of the new departure will be understood, although of course
it does not affect the Whiteehapel District". No place underground not
in use as a bakehouse at the present time can legally be so used at any
future time, A register of such places has been already prepared by
your officers for future use.
Section 29 is as follows:—"Every medical practitioner attending on
"or called in to visit a patient whom he believes to be suffering from
"lead, phosphorus, or arsenical poisoning, or anthrax, contracted in any
"factory or workshop shall (unless the notice required by this Section1 has been previously sent) send to the Chief Inspector of Factories at
"the Home Office, London, a notice stating the name and full postal
"address of the patient and the disease from which in the opinion of the
"medical practitioner the patient is suffering, and shall be entitled in
"respect of every notice sent in pursuance of this Section to a fee of two
"shillings and sixpence to be paid as part of the expenses incurred by
"the Secretary of State, in the execution of the principal Act. If any
"medical practitioner, when required by this Section to send a notice,
"fails forthwith to send the same, he shall be liable to a fine not
"exceeding forty shillings.
"Written notice of every case of lead, phosphorus, or arsenical
"poisoning, or anthrax, occurring in a factory or workshop, shall forth"with
be sent to the Inspector, and to the Certifying Surgeon for the
"District; and the provisions of the Factory Acts with respect to
"accidents shall apply in any such case in like manner as to any such
"accident as is in those Sections mentioned.
"The Secretary of State may by order made in accordance with
"Section 65 of the principal Act apply the provisions of this Section to
"any other diseasS occurring in a factory or workshop, and thereupon
"this Section and the provisions referred to therein shall apply
"accordingly.