INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE

Dominion, Volume 18, Issue 271, 21 August 1925, Page 12

INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE

DISEASES OF OCCUPATION PREVENTIVE MEASURES Dr. Mercer (medical officer of health) gave n lecture to the AA’.E.A. class in ■’Hvgiene and Sanitary Science” on Monday night, the subject 'being "Industrial Hygiene and Diseases of Occupation Industrial hygiene, lie said, was now recognised in preventive medicine since it dealt with the health, welfare and tho human rights of the vast majority of Hie population. The general principles of industrial hygiene were that the workman should receive from tho State and his employer all adequate, necessary and reasonable protection from accident and disease in the particular trade or occupation in which he was enga’.ed. There wore m-nv inflii’n’-es to bo reckoned with, which wore not specifically inherent to any particular trade, such as bad ventilation., light, lack of cleanliness, overcrowding, excessive hours, fatigue, find n hundred and one conditions which affected the health of the individual. Some industries. while not in themselves particularly hazardous, wore rendered so through intemperance or disposition. There was a certain relationshin between low wages and high sickness rate in a given industry, because low wages meant poor housing, insufficient clothing, poor food, unhealthful recreation. increased temptation tn alcoholism and the employment of men and women handicapped by poor physique or bad liobits. The lecturer then dealt with certain fundamental factors with regard to pre? vention and improvements of hygienic conditions. Tie said there were five essential factn’-s; Investigation, practical laws, systematic factory inspection, penalties and education. Suitable laws were necessary. It was found in practice that conditions could be corrected bv an appeal to voluntary reform. Laws had lifflp value unless thev provided ii penalty against, both the employer and employees. Dr. Mercer spoke of the advisability of fixing a standard working day of eight ho’’ZJ bn-'suso if held t’-at no employer had the right to utilise |i, P nrrnntev nnrt of a man’s day and thus deprive hipi of the leisure to wlv'ch he. as a human being, was entitled. He next demonstrated the effects of fafi"’ , “ on the efficiency and output of work and how undue fatigue was the predisonsin'- cense of nil forms of disease. Dealing with the employment of minors 1 '!’” n £n s l lP ,red how important it was that the hours and conditions of employment should be regulated, not only in tho interests of the individual, b’’ 1 of file race. The lecturer classified the conditions of occupation as those due to (1) Dust, poxtons fumes, gases, etc.: (21 mineral poisons, improper light and ventilation and insanitary conditions, etc.; (3) extreme temperatures: (4) compressed atnmsnheros (caicsoned diseases); (5) diseases caused jby harmful bacteria and micro-organisms. Tho principle occnnntion diseases caused under section (1) Im snid were diseases of the lungs to which miners in coal and stone, etc., vmre liable JTc explained how the sharp, gritty inorganic particles of dust were more destructive to lune tissue than the smooth or soft ones. The preventive measures were two-fold: proper mechanical protection and good ventilafic" of the machines creating the dust nnd the wearing of some form of respirator in the worst kinds of dusty t redes. Ho described how insidious was the onset of lead poisoning and flm ’great number of trades in which lead was used, and how some of these Trades in which load was used were more dangerous than others such as notterv. enamelling ami glazing. the manufacture of lead storage batteries, and. lastly, tho use of white load by painters. After the lecture there was an interesting talk on many of the subjects mentioned in tho lecture, end esnecinlL- on the dangers of lead. Some members present considered that the dangers of lead were inclined to be e-ra agerated and explained how free plumbers were from lead poisoning. The lecturer said that no doubt great improvements had taken place in the manufactories using lead, but that it might still be a dangerous industrial occupation.