MASS X-RAY SCHEME

Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25945, 27 October 1949, Page 4

MASS X-RAY SCHEME

EMPLOYERS GIVE SUPPORT

WORKERS TO HAVE TIME OFF

Support for a scheme, proposed by the Health Department, for allowing factory employees an hour oft on full pay to enable them to be X-rayed with the miniature X-ray plant at the Chest Clinic, was given by the council of the Canterbury Manufacturers’ Association last evening. The Medical Officer of Health (Dr. J. H. Blakelock) attended the meeting with the Industrial Medical Officer (Pr. D. P. Kennedy) and outlined the department’s scheme for the mass Xraying :0f women workers, aged between 16 and 30, and all workers engaged in food-handling. Ideally, he said, every person should be examined periodically for tuberculosis, but a start had to be made somewhere and the suggestion was that women workers, who were more prone to infection than men, and workers handling food should be examined first. The main object of the survey was to discover cases earlier than they had previously been discovered and also to discover other conditions, easily detectable by X-rays. > Dr. Blakelock said that the plant was not easily transferable ' and it would ba necessary for workers to come to the clinic. The plant could take about 100 X-rays an hour and if it was to be used efficiently, there would need to be a continuous flow of people each day. It had been estimated that it would take an hour, from the time the worker left his factory until he returned, for the X-ray. “There is no precedent here for what we are trying to do and we feel that we should feel our way slowly, Dr. Blakelock added. “There is still a lot to work out, but without the co-’ operation of employers and employees we can do nothing.” . Mr A.‘M. Hollander said it should be made clear that the investigation was taking place among factory employees aspart of a mass observation scheme, not because people who worked in factories were more prone to tuberculosis. “Manufacturers have been regarded as guinea pigs; if departments want to try anything out, they try it out on- us,” he said. “It should be made clear that it is convenient for the department to start with factory workers and that is all.” In reply to a question, Dr. Blakelock said it was not proposed to start the scheme earlier than February next year. "We* want to give as big a coverage as possible ana will not stop when industry has been examined, he added. _ _ „ .... The president (Mr F. C. Penfold) said that the council would recommend that industries support the scheme. He suggested that employees in factories and large retail stares should oe examined alternately so that it should not be thought that there was any bias against factories, The address by Dr. Blakelock w® B scheduled to be taken in committee, but after a brief discussion it was agreed to take the address in open meeting. Mr Penfold said that if necessary the meeting could go into committee during the address.