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or business or for the purpose of any industrial or commercial undertaking.
Such works can generally speaking be described as factories in which mechanical
power is used, and the local authority is responsible for seeing that sufficient
and suitable sanitary conveniences are provided for the persons employed,
SECTION 114 (Posting of abstract of Act and notices) provides that there
must be exhibited in every factory a copy of a prescribed abstract of the pro
visions 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 his Annual Report to his Authority a report of the administration of the
sections of the Factories Act for which the Authority is responsible, and to
send a copy of the Report, or so much of it as deals with these matters, to the
Minister of Labour and National Service.
At the end of the year there were 1,486 factories operating in the
Borough and the number of persons employed in these factories varied from one
to 1,000. The industries employing the largest numbers of persons are those
connected with clothing, chemicals, furniture, paint, cardboard and metal boxes,
shoes, plastic and rubber articles, fountain pens and pencils.
Prior to the resignation of the Factories Sanitary Inspector on the 30th
September responsibility for the inspection of factories was shared by that
inspector, who dealt with factories employing 50 or more persons, and the district
sanitary inspectors, who were responsible for factories in which fewer
than 50 persons were employed. Since 1st October the district Sanitary
Inspectors have undertaken the inspection of all factories in their respective
districts.
Visits to the number of 2,574 were made to 1,201 factories,
Informal notices were sent to the occupiers of 74 factories in respect of
80 contraventions found, and defects to the number of 75 were remedied without
recourse to legal proceedings. Notification of contraventions at 56 premises
was received from H. M, Inspector of Factories,
Alleged nuisances arising from factory operations relating to noise from
machinery, smoke fumes and effluvia emanating from factories formed the subjects
of a number of complaints received in the department
SECTION 66 of the London County Council (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 enables a noise
nuisance to be dealt with summarily as a nuisance under the Public Health
(London) Act, 1936 by a sanitary authority.
In connection with twenty one new complaints of noise nuisances and the
follow-up of old complaints 185 investigations were made in five instances
informal notices drawing the attention of the occupiers of the premises con
cerned to the existence of a nuisance were served In six cases nuisances
were abated without recourse to formal action-
Nuisances from effluvia are dealt with under the provisions of Sections
137 and 147 of the Public Health (London) Act 1936„ and smoke nuisances under
Sec tions l47 and 148 of the same Act and the London County Council By laws
Regulating the Emission of Smoke. Action taken under these sections is set
out in the part of this Report relating to air pollution
Home Work - Outworkers. The classes of outwork to which the provisions
of the relevant sections of the Act apply are specified by Regulations made by
the Secretary of State.
SECTION 110 of the Factories Act 1937 (Lists of outworkers to be kept
in certain trades) 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