The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-04-25 00:00:00

FACTORIES AND WORKSHOPS.

The report for 1884 of the Chief Inspector of Fac-
tories and Workshops (Mr. Alexander Redgrave) to
the Home Secretary has been issued as a Blue-book.
It appears that by means now adopted and described
in the report, a very thorough knowledge is obtained
of the causes of accidents in factories, and the kind of
machinery from which they arise. Mr. Redgrave
states that more serious accidents occur in the fac-
tories which first came under inspection in-1867, those
in which are found ponderous machinery and heavy
materials, as, for instance, iron mills, machine
makers, chemical works, and the like. The less
severe but more frequent occur in textile fabrics,
cotton, worsted, woollen, and flax factories. This,
Mr. Superintending Inspector Coles observes, ought
not to be, seeing how well guarded in all respects
machinery is now sent out by the maker:4. The
truth is that nearly one-half of the accidents whicl44
take place arise from women and young
persons cleaning the machinery when it is
in motion. Children are prohibited from doing
this by section 9 of the Factory and Work-
shop Act, and Inspector Coles suggests that this pro-
hibition should be extended at least to all young per-
sons under 18 years of age. A great number of acci-
dents, too, are caused by the eagerness of the work-
people to finish their work, as, being on piecework,
they are reluctant to lose any time by stopping the
machinery. While the inspectors 'generally acknow-
ledge that much has been done with the concurrence
of the occupiers of factories to diminish preventable
accidents by fencing dangerous machinery and other
expedients, the chief inspector remarks that a similar
spirit does not animate all employers. Strong objec-
tions are sometimes made to the adoption of simple
precautions for the prevention of accidents, and
nothing but severe measures can induce some em-
ployers, and even millwrights and machine makers,
to acknowledge the necessity of greater precautions
being taken. The report refers at some length to quarry
accidents—many of which, it is remarked, might be
obviated by greater care being taken—and those caused
by shuttles flying from looms. It also deals with the
question of securing a healthy atmosphere in fac-
tories and workshops, by rendering innocuous dust
and gases evolved in the various processes of manu-
facture and by prohibiting the overcrowding of work.-
rooms, and in this Connexion some information is
given ,as to special forms of disease connected with
particular occupations, such as wool-sorters' disease
and the diseases of millers. "In the early part of
the autumn, in consequence of much attention having
been drawn to the condition of the workshops in which
various occupations, principally tailoring, were carried
"on at the East-end of London, it was deemed to be
desirable to make some special inspections of these
places. The workshops more especially referred to
are the rooms in dwelling-houses in which tailoring
is carried on for what are called sweaters. The
operatives are principally foreigners, Germans, Poles,
and Dutch, most frequently also of the Jewish per-
suasion, in many instances professing not to under-
stand English, and in some cases doubtlessly igno-
rant of any language but their own. The total
number of these workshops visited during that special
inspection was 1478. It is necessary, however, to
explain that in making, as it were, a house-to-hcuse
visitation, and going into 1478 separate workshops,
very few of them come legally under the cognisance of
her Majesty's inspectors of factories. In as many as
724 out of the 1478 the inspectors had no jurisdiction
whatever, and in 387 others no jurisdiction over
their sanitary condition, which would be within
the purview of the local authorities. Full details of
the insanitary condition of such of the above 1111
workshops as required improvements, numbering 907,
were forwarded to the chairmen of the local
authorities of the districts in which they were
severally situated, and the further inspection by the
local officers was commenced. In the remaining 367
workshops in which we had full jurisdiction, it was
found that improvements were necessary in 132, and
urgent representations were made to the occupier of
each workshop, pointing 'out in precise terms the
alterations and improvements required." The careful
and detailed inspections made in this work have, it is
added, been productive of much wood.

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,00q Toeeday, M., de Freyeinet informes
,Wieolleagues that the term .grantedUAht) Egyrptisiri-;,
Government for returtrippitelfsoid reply ta
note of last Saturday would expire that evening.

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