N.Z. FACTORIES

Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 63, 12 September 1945, Page 9

N.Z. FACTORIES

STRONG CRITICISM

OVERCROWDING AND

DIRT

The conclusion that, to date, insui' ficient attention appeared to have been paid in New Zealand to industrial employment as a cause of ill health was expressed by Dr. J. M. Davidson, one of the British Government's medical inspectors of factories, in a review oi industrial hygiene in th'o country and the health of the industrial worker published as an appendix to the annual report of the Health Department, The report Mas tabled in the House oi Representatives yesterday. Dr. Davidson said the opinion he had formed was not surprising-, because New Zealand was not a highly-industrialised country, but the process of industrialisation had started, and it was necessary to take stock of the position. Dr. Davidson said he had visited over 200 factories, covering a wide variety o£ trades or industrial processes and employing nearly 15.00 C males and over 4000 females. He had therefore seen and inspected, he stated, a typical cross-section of the conditions under which the New Zealand factory worker was required to earn his living- , Dr. Davidson had some trenchant criticism to make, but he explained that a report of such a nature was inevitably critical, and at times might appear unnecessarily harsh. In case such an impression should be left by his report, he placed on record that he saw some factories in which the conditions of work were' -til that could be desired and that his report dealt mostly with the others. "While I have seen several wellplanned, clean, and obviously wellmanaged factories in New Zealand, it is a regrettable and significant fact that the leading impression winch 1 have carried away from a disappointingly high proportion of those visited, stated Dr. Davidson, "is one of bad housekeeping—overcrowding of plant, poor lighting, dirty windows, and badly-stained floors; accumulation ol disused material, scrap, and rubbish, and unswept floors and untidy benches. Untidiness and dirt go hand in hand, and an easy tolerance of the one leads to a philosophic acceptance of the other. The present system of granting extra payment as 'dirt money' for the performance of certain routine unpleasant work unfortunately militates against, the improving of working conditions. Dirt is degrading, demoralising, and disease-producing m the factory as much as in the home, and the employer who sees nothing wrong in a squalid, dirty, and ill-kept factory does not deserve to prosper. Still less does he deserve to be entrusted, as he is at present, with the training of the young. It must be emphasised that the conditions referred to apply to some food factories in New Zealand, as well as to others, particularly the smaller factories manufacturing condiments and table delicacies, etc. And yet I have visited one such factory which, set in a beautiful garden, is one of the most attractive which I have seen in. New Zealand or elsewhere." Dr. Davidson commented that the most recent British legislation represented an attempt to secure a higher standard of general cleanliness in all factories than present New Zealand legislation required even in food factories. "Today," he said, referring to the results of his survey generally, "New Zealand is in much the same position as Great Britain was prior to 1937, in that the Dominion is trying to make do with a Factories Act which is largely out of date." SERIES OF RECOMMENDATIONS. After dealing with lighting, ventilation, sanitation, medical supervision, feeding arrangements, and other subjects Dr. Davidson summarised his recommendations as follows: An effort should be made to raise the general hygienic and aesthetic standards in factories to a level consonant with what was best in current practice elsewhere, to provide greater safety from accidents, and to improve in particular the conditions under which young persons were employed in factories. More care should be devoted to the planning of new factories in accordance with the process to be carried on. Employers should realise that a much higher standard of hygiene was called for than was at present maintained. Arrangements should be made lor the provision of medical and nursing supervision in factories. A higher standard of first-aid should be set, and good records kept of cases treated. , , . ~ , Boys and girls employed in factories should receive special training at work, particularly before being employed to operate dangerous machinery. Industry should appoint its own "safety officers" to carry out "self inspection" as a means of reducing the incidence of accidents and dangerous occurrences at work. . The benefits to be derived from 30ml works councils should be further exP Some simplification and codification of industrial legislation was called for. Present restrictions governing the employment in factories of boys and girls should be tightened up. . Prohibition of the 'employment in factories of children under the age of fourteen should be absolute, except m the single case of factories m which only members of the same family were employed. , All young persons under the age 01 sixteen should be medically examined before being employed, in factories. The State should provide better facilities than at present existed for the1 education of factory managements in matters touching industrial hygiene and the health of the industrial worker. INSPECTION OF FACTORIES. Higher standards of inspection were required in" factories and to facilitate their adoption there should be a curjtailrnent of the present functions of factory inspectors. In particular they should be relieved of 'dU duties involving consideration c.£ the monetary aspects of employment and compensation for industry. There was need for an improved system of recruitment for factory inspectors. . . There should be an increase m the proportion oi' women factory inspectors, but with 110 reduction in thenfavour of Ihe standards set for recruitment and no limitation of their opportunities of acquiring the same allround experience as male inspectors. Exist in;; facilities should be cov'lated and others made available as required for the training of factory inspectors by experts in industrial health and hygiene, industrial toxicology, industrial psychology, sociology, accident prevention work, and tne like. -ii' inspectors of factories when suuabiy trained should be made responsible tor all routine work in connection with the guardin* of machinery but should continue to "be guided in such matters by the inspectors of machinery. The application of the Factories Act should be extended so as to include factories belonging to or in the occupation of the State. , There should be included in the factory inspectorate at least one inspector with special knowledge of engineering one with special knowledge ot chemistry, and one with a medical qualification. Consideration should be given to the formation within the Department oi Health of a division of industrial hygiene which would take over from the Department of Labour responsibility for the care of the industrial worker at work so far as his health, welfare, and safety—but not remuneration —y/ere concerned. The factory inspectorate should be attached to the division.