H—ll

(15) Requisitions. —Table XXVII in the Appendix gives the number of requisitions served under the various Acts administered by the Department. The progressively increased attention given by Inspectors to working conditions is revealed by a comparison of the requisitions served under the Factories Act during recent years, as follows 1939-40 .. 776 1943-44 .. 416 1946-47 .. 881 1940-41 .. 623 1944-45 .. 542 1947-48 .. 1,538 1941-42 .. 528 1945-46 671 1948-49 .. 3,126 1942-43 ~ 426 In addition, 557 requisitions were served in 1948-49 under awards and agreements. (16) Inspectors report that Building Controllers have in recent months been more able to issue permits for alterations to premises where occupiers have been required to comply with requisitions. While this no doubt reflects an improvement in the supply of materials, shortages of materials and labour still delay compliance with requisitions. The Department on occasions has been asked to help in obtaining materials, while occupiers sometimes have difficulty in securing builders and contractors to carry out the work after permits have been made available. Most factory occupiers have been co-operative, and in fact the figures above concerning requisitions do not tell the whole story of improvements brought about by inspections, since many occupiers have immediately complied with the suggestions of Inspectors without the necessity of requisitions being served. (17) Requisitions served in 1948-49 under the Factories Act, 1946, and under awards and agreements cover the following matters not specifically reported elsewhere : Requisitions. First-aid equipment .. .. .. .. .. 290 Fire-precautions .. . . .. .. .. .. 244 Machinery guards .. .. .. .. .. 292 Ventilation .. .. .. ... .. .. 182 Lighting .. .. .. .. .. .. 138 Heating .. .. .. .. .. .. 151 Seating .. .. .. .. .. 22 Washing and shower facilities .. .. .. .. 606 Sanitation .. .. .. .. .. .. 421 Lunch-rooms and cloak-rooms .. .. .. .. 345 Drinking-water .. .. .. .. .. 29 Dust-extraction .. .. .. .... 92 Locker accommodation, &c., for workers .. .. .. 290 Others .. .. ... .. ... .. .. 581 (c) Lead Process Regulations 1925 and Accumulator (Lead Process) Regulations 1940 (1) Only two cases of lead poisoning have been reported during the year. In one case —a lead-recovery factory —the occupier immediately closed the plant and commenced to remodel it to meet requirements. In the second case the worker has been permanently removed from lead-process work. Most factory-occupiers closely watch the periodic blood-counts of employees, but a survey of twenty-six factories doing lead process work in one district revealed five cases of lead absorption to varying degrees, while in another district, out of 464 workers who were examined by industrial nurses, four showing signs of lead-absorption were transferred to outside jobs. In another lead-process plant improvements were necessary in washing facilities, meal accommodation, and exhaust appliances, but workers are now complaining of the draughts caused by the latter. A warning was issued to an employer in respect of an apprentice employed on lead-pots in a printing-works, and in another printing-works improvements were requested to the ventilation in the linotype-room and in another room where type was melted and cast into ingots. No breaches were observed in paint-factories. Generally speaking, the regulations are well observed, and it is apparent that improved

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