The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1922-02-11
PLANT SURVEY BY i. S.
HITS CONDITIONS HERE
Uncleanlincss, Poor Ventilation, Bad
Sanitation Where Women Work.
Is Charge. Governor Reveals Re
port.

Inadequately cleaned workrOoms
poor ventilation and an almost utter
/ d .sregard OF State sanitary laws are
! shown in an industrial survey OF
! hours and working conditions OF
women in Maryland, made by the
! Women's Bureau Of the United
! States Department of Labor. 1h1
! survey was made upon the invitation
| OF Governor Richie and was made
! public by Linn recently.
The survey covered 24U establish
| ments and included plants IN Balu-
! more, Cumberland, HagerstoWn, An
napolis, Salisbury, Cambridge, Frost
burg, Havre de Grace. Elkton,
Homecoming, Alberton, Della Luke
! leicester and Parsonburg. or the
plants visited, 142 were i'll Baitl-
more and 90 in the rest of the State
and comprised mercantile establish
mcnts. laundries and cannerles.
CannerieS We're not included be-
cause the time of the investigation
, was not coincident with the canning
season The manufacturing plants
covered those producing paper and
wooden boxes, candy. cigars, men
women's and children's clothing
glass, hats, hosiery, meat products
metal products, textiles, umbrellas.
yarn and thread and printing and
publishing plants, department stores
5-and-10-ccnt stores and few specl-
atty shops.
The number OF women included in
the survey, made at the suggestion
OF the Maryland League of Women
Voters, was 1907, of whom SO per
cent. were colored The largest pro-
portion of the women was in the gar
ment trade and all except s per cent.
of these were American-bOrn.
Living facilities were found to be
Inadequate in 210 of tho 24O plants.
Both natural and artificial lighting
were declared poor in rs plants and
the seating was found to be unsatis-
factory in 115 plants. No seats at
all were provided for women in 1S
plants, an insufficient number in 92
plants, and in SO plants some or all
OF the seats had no backs.
Fire hazards were found to be es-
pecially numerous and existed in l4S
OF the 240 plants inspected. Occu-
pational or workroom hazards oc-
Cured in 81 plants and a possible
strain for some or all of the women
employees was found in PIT plants.
IN 81 plants the hazards could be
definitely ascribed to unguarded ma
chinery dangerous to women opera
TORS, and in "a plants TO exposure to
tunes, excessive heat or cold, and so
on.
Women were found working at
sitting jobs in an especially cramp-
ed posture in IS plants, lifting ag-
gregate weights averaging from 27OO
pounds to 4,500 pounds daily.
The report is especially severe in
its comment on the fire-hazard situ-
alton in Baltimore and declares that
hazards were found in 81 plants IN
this city where higher standards
and a more rigid enforcement of fire
regulations might be expected" The
hazards specified range all the way
rom opening in of entrance doors to
actual obstructions of tables and
stock in the aisles, or partitions COW
aring exits to fire-escape5. No fire.
escapes Of any sort were provided in
81 plants, where in the opinion OF the
Investigators they seemed essential
for safety. Overhead sprinkler sys-
TENS were found in only 70 establish
ments and exit signs in only 81.
Drinking and washing facilities
at variance with the State laws were
found to exist i'll considerable pro-
portion. Common drinking cups as
the only provision We're found in II
and in five plants the only provision
for drinking existed in the shape Of
bottles, cooking utensils or other
casual provisions. No cups were
provided in "a plants aud insanitary
bubble fo7 ntains in Is. InoI> tdual
cups for all workers were supplied
in Sc plants and sanitary bubble
fountains in four.
According to the survey, 2OS
plants had unsatisfactory washing ia
cilities, inconveniently located. Ten
such establishments, handling food
products, failed to provide hot water
or soap, and no towels were provided
in 113. The common towel was
found in Sc plants, "a Of them in
Baltimore and 80 in the State at
large.
Lack OF proper tirst-aid equip
ment also occupies a large space in
the report Of the investigators. Only
232 plants reported this information
and of these 116 are declared to have
mad no first aid provision Of any sort,
or totally inadequate one. In only
il plants were records kept Of acci-
dents and in eight establishments
reporting the possession Of frst-aid
e0uiDment of some sort there was no
definite person to administer it. Only
two OF the 81 establishments where
, feed was handled required medical