FACTORY HYGIENE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 21816, 12 September 1945, Page 7

FACTORY HYGIENE

REPORT CONDITIONS IN N.Z. BRITISH DOCTOR’S VIEWS (P R.) WELLINGTON, Sept, 12. The conclusion that up to date insufficient attention appeared to have been paid in New Zealand to industrial employment as the cause of ill-health is expressed by Dr. J. M Davidson, one of the British Government’s medical inspectors of factories, in a review of industrial hygiene in this country and the health of the industrial worker, published as an appendix to the annual report of the Heath Department The report was tabled in the House of Representatives yesterday. Dr Davidson said he had visited over 200 factories covering a wide variety of trades or industrial processes. He had some trenchant criticism to make but explained that a report of such a nature was inevitably criVcal 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 all 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 which t have received and carried away from a disappointingly high proportion of those visited ” states Dr Davidson, “is one of bad housekeeping—overcrowding of plant poor lighting, dirty windows and badly-stained walls, an accumulation of disused material, scrap and rubbish, and unswept floors and untidy benches. Payment of “Dirt Money’'

“The present system of granting extra payment as dirt money for the performance of certain routine unpleasant work unortunately militates against the improving of working conditions. 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. “Yet I have visited one such factory which is set in a beautiful garden. It is one of the most attractive which I have seen in New' Zealand or elsewhere.”

Dr. Davidson comments that most of the recent British legislation represents an attempt to secure a higher standard of general cleanliness in all factories. Included in Dr. Davidson’s recommendations were the following:— An effort should be made to raise the general hygienic and aesthetic standards in factories to a level consonant with what w’as 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. Planning New 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 for 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. The benefits to be derived from the joint works council should be further explored. - Some simplification and codification of industrial legislation was called for. Prohibition of employment in factories of children under the age of 14 years should be absolute, except in factories in which only members of the same family were employed. The State should provide better facilities than at present existed for education for factory managements in matters touching industrial hygiene and the health of the industrial worker. He added that a number of recommendations aimed at improving the inspection of factories.