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responsible for seeing that sufficient and suitable sanitary conveniences are
provided for the persons employed, Under the provisions of SECTION 114 there
must be exhibited in every factory a copy of a prescribed Abstract of the
provisions of the Act.
The Medical Officer of Health of every District Council and any Officer
authorised by the District Council to inspect factories are required by
SECTION 128 to send written certificates to H.M„ Inspector of Factories of any
factory where such an Abstract is not exhibited. This Section also places
upon the Medical Officer of Health an obligation to include in the Annual
Report to his Authority a report on the administration of the sections of the
Factories Act - for which the Authority is responsible, and to send a copy of
the Annual Report, or so much of it as deals with these matters, to the
Secretary of State.
At the end of the year there were 1.469 factories operating in the
Borough, the number of persons employed in these factories varying from 1 to
600. The manufacture of clothing forms the principal industry in Hackney and
the factories employing the largest numbers of staff are those engaged in the
manufacture of clothing, chemicals, furniture, paint, cardboard boxes, shoes,
plastic and rubber articles, fountain pens, and electric lamps.
From time to time the Department receives complaints of alleged nuisances
arising from factory operations; usually such complaints relate to noise from
machinery, smoke, fumes and effluvia.
SECTION 66 of the London County Council's (General Powers) Act, 1937,
enacts that a noise nuisance shall be deemed to exist where any person continues,
or causes to be made or continued, any excessive, unreasonable or
unnecessary noise, which is injurious or dangerous to health. This section
also enables a noise nuisance to be dealt with summarily as a nuisance under
the Public Health (London) Act, 1936, with the proviso that no complaint to a
Petty Sessional Court in respect of a noise nuisance shall be of any effect
unless it is made by not less than three persons being either householders or
occupiers of premises within hearing of the noise nuisance which is the
subject of the complaint.
As a result of fourteen complaints of noise nuisances received, 37
investigations were made and in four instances informal notices, drawing the
attention of the occupiers of the premises concerned to the existence of a
nuisance, were served In all four cases the nuisances were abated without
recourse to formal action
Nuisances from effluvia are dealt with under the provisions of Section
137 of the Public Health (London) Act, 1936, and smoke nuisances under Sections
147 and 148 of the same Act and the London County Council By laws made thereunder
Action taken under these sections is reported in the section relating
to Air Pollution.
HOME WORK - OUTWORKERS, The classes of outwork to which the provisions
of the sections of the Act apply are specified by Regulations made by the
Secretary of State
SECTION 110 of the Factories Act, 1937, requires the occupier of a
factory, and any contractor employed by any such occupier in the business of a
factory, to keep in the prescribed form and manner lists showing the names and
addresses of all persons employed by them as outworkers Such lists must be
open to inspection by any inspector and by any official duly authorised by the
District Council A copy of the list is required to be submitted to the
Medical Officer of Health for the local District Council in February and
August of each year*
SECTION 111 provides that where the outworkers' premises are injurious or
dangerous to health the District Council may give notice to the occupier of
the factory or to any contractor employed by him setting forth particulars of
the respects in which the place is, in their opinion, so injurious or dangerous,