Evening star., 1943-09-03
Health Hazards
Being Removed
In Institutions
Corrective Measures
Being Taken, D. c.
Survey Now Shows

Substantial progress is being made
In the correction of plumbing and
other facilities in Washington's hos
pitfalls, hotels, laundries and other
institutions. where expert investiga-
ton dating back to September, 1941,
disclosed variety of conditions
considered health hazards.
This was said today to be a gen.
eral summary of technical and de-
tailed reports as submitted to the
Commissioners by the Health De-
partment on the protracted work of
v. H. TRAILER. an inspector of the
Health Department Sanitary In
spection Service, and F. F. Aldridge,
a sanitary engineer assigned to the
Health Department for this purpose
by the United States Public Health
Service
Twenty Hospitals Included.
Their investigations, the report
showed, indicated that in 80 of the
80 institutions examined there were
some number or degree of conditions
considered unsafe from the public
health viewpoint, either as to po-
tential hazard or something more
serious. 1t was declared that as to
the 20 hospitals included in the total,
corrective measures already have
been completed or are now in prog
ress.
The survey reports showed that
In the case of Washington laun-
dries they are being operated and
fnaintained-with comparatively few
exceptions-in clean and efficient
manned, with due consideration for
the welfare and safety of their en-
ployes.
A summary of the reports, released
today by the Commissioners, showed
that the total number of hazardous
connections" as to plumbing in hos
pitals and other institutions was
5,438. These were classified, accord
ing to degree of hazard, as follows:
per cent OF the hazards were
listed as being "menaces," the high
est degree of hazards; 38 per cent
as Serious" 20.7 per cent as def
mite" 72.4 per cent as potential"
81 per cent as remote"
Most Start Repairs.
1t was reported that at this time
two of the institutions or ST. per
cent of the total, have completed
corrective measures; 10 per cent
have started corrective work and
23.3 per cent so far have taken no
action.
The survey showed that in laun-
dries of 18 hospitals and institu-
tions examined, six had no unsafe
fixtures, one has completed cor
rective measures recommended by
the Investigators; 10 have begun
corrective work, and one has taken
no action at all. OF five hotels stud
led. one was found to have no un-
safe fixtures; one has completed
corrective work and three others
have begun corrective measures.
Investigators found that the hos
pitfalls and institutions did not clean
their laundries as well as do the
commercial laundries and hotels. |
Drinking fountains were found to
be sanitary in only one-fourth of
the cases. 1t was reported 8.3 per
cent of all laundries visited had in
sanitary conditions.
Lunchrooms Called Good.
The lunch and rest rooms In the
hospitals and hotels were said to be
very good" But these facilities in
80 per cent of the commercial estab-
lishments were inadequate.
The summary on the reports said
that despite the fact that lsundries
have hot and cold water, towels and
soap, only about one-half of the
establishments surveyed were ade-
quately equipped as to facilities for
their employees. 1t was found that
in 80 per cent of the establishments
visited, floor space was inadequate
and that in IS per cent of the places
there was no effective program for
the regular removal of accumulated
dust and lint from machinery and
building walls.