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21
SANITARY LEGISLATION.
Two Acts of Parliament of enormous importance to
Sanitary Authorities received the Royal assent during
The past session, and came into operation on the 1st of
January, 1892; they impose new and onerous duties
On Sanitary officers.
FACTORIES AND WORKSHOPS ACT, 1891.
Section 3.
H. M. Factory Inspectors are now relieved of the
whole duty of regulating the sanitary condition of
workshops. This duty is transferred to Sanitary
Section 1.
Authorities, but in the event of these neglecting
Section 2(2).
Their duties, the Secretary of State may author?ze
the Factory Department to inspect and take
proceedings for punishing or remedying any default in
compliance with the provisions of the law relating to
public health in workshops, at the expense of the
Local Authority.
Section 7.
Factories where more than 40 persons are employed,
have now to be provided with proper means of escape
in case of fire, and it is the duty of the Sanitary
Authority to see that this is done in a proper manner,
(4)
but in London the County Council takes the place of
.
the Sanitary Authority for this purpose.
Section 17.
Section 17 forbids the employment of a woman within
)four weeks after she has given birth to a child.
Section 18.
Section 18 raises the age at which children may be
lawfully employed to eleven, but the operation of this
clause is deferred till 1893.
Section 8.
By Section 8, the Secretary of State may impose
upon any unhealthy or dangerous trade "special rules "
for the conduct of the business.*
Amongst others, such special rules have been imposed
upon the manufacture of white lead, and one of these
rules is, that all persons working at the process shall
*The manufacture of White Lead.
The manufacture of Paints, Colours, &c.
The Extraction of Arsenic.—Order dated May, 1892.
The manufacture of Lucifer Matches, except such as are made of Amorphous
Phosphorous. —Order dated June, 1892.