View report page

70
FACTORIES AND OUTWORK
(Factories Act. 1937)
A "Factory" is defined in Section 151 of the Factories Act, 1937 as any
premises in which or within the close or curtilage or precincts of which per
sons are employed in manual labour in any process for, or incidental to, any of
the following purposes, namely: -
(a) the making of any article or of part of any article, or
(b) the altering, repairing, ornamenting, finishing, cleaning or washing
or the breaking up or demolition of any article, or
(c) the adapting for sale of any article:
being premises in which or within the close or curtilage or precincts of which
the work is carried on by way of trade or for the purpose of gain. Some
thirteen sets of premises where persons are employed in manual labour, which
might not otherwise come within the general definition, eg. works in the open
air, book-binding, bottle washing or filling., are also included in the defini
tion of factory,
There are two classes of factories, those in which mechanical power is
usedand those in which mechanical power is not used By section 152 of the
Act a factory in which mechanical power is used only for the purpose of heat
ing, ventilating or lighting the workrooms or other parts of the factory, is
not deemed to be a factory in which mechanical power is used.
Responsibility for the enforcement of general health and welfare provisions
in factories is shared by H,M. Inspector of Factories of the Factory
Department of the Ministry of Labour and National Service, and the local
authority,
The principal duties of local authorities are in the case of non power
factories, the enforcement of the health provisions contained in the following
sections:-
SECTION 1 (Cleanliness) requires every factory to be kept clean, and free
from effluvia arising from any drain, sanitary convenience or nuisance, and lays
down the frequency with which cleansing must be undertaken,
SECTION 2 (Overcrowding) enacts that a factory may not be so overcrowded
as to cause risk of injury to the health of persons employed therein.
SECTION 3 (Temperature) deals with the provisions which must be made for
securing and maintaining reasonable temperature in each workroom,
SECTION 4 (Ventilation) relates to the provisions to be made for securing
that each workroom is adequately ventilated, and for rendering harmless any
fumes, dust and other impurities generated in the course of the work carried
out.
SECTION 6 (Drainage of floors) requires effective means to be provided
for draining the floor of any part of a factory where any process carried on
renders this necessary,
SECTION 7 (Sanitary conveniences) enacts that sufficient and suitable
sanitary conveniences for persons employed must be provided, maintained and
kept clean. They must be properly lighted and where persons of both sexes are
employed, separate accommodation must be provided for each sex.
In the case of power factories: the local authority enforces only the pro
visions of Section 7 (Sanitary Conveniences), the other health provisions being
the responsibility of H,M, Inspector of Factories,, who enforces in both types
of factory the requirements of Section 5. which relate to the provision and
maintenance of suitable and sufficient lighting
SECTIONS 101 (Tenement factories) AND 102 (Premises where part of building
is separate factory) define the responsibility of owners, as distinct from
occupiers, with regard to contraventions of the health provisions in tenement
factories, and premises where part of a building is a separate factorySECTIONS
107 (Building operations) AND 108 (works of engineering construc
tion) apply the provisions of SECTION 7 (sanitary conveniences) to build
ing operations and works of engineering construction undertaken by way of trade