A.D. 1926. Byelaws for means of escape from fire. Doors of offices to open from inside. Restriction of period of employ ment. Notice of of office. (b) in the case of a rural district council, as special expenses incurred in the execution of the Public Health Act, 1875; and those expenses shall be charged to the contributory area in which the office is situate. 5 6. Every local sanitary authority shall, in addition to any powers which they possess with reference to the prevention of fire, have power to make byelaws providing for means of escape from fire in the case of any office, and sections one hundred and eighty-two to one hundred 10 and eighty-six of the Public Health Act, 1875, shall apply to any byelaws so made. 7.-(1) While any person employed in an office is within the office for the purposes of employment or meals, the doors of the office, and of any room therein 15 in which any such person is, must not be locked or bolted or fastened in such a manner that they cannot be easily and immediately opened from the inside. (2) An office in which there is a contravention of this section shall be deemed not to be kept in conformity 20 with this Act. 8. The following regulations with regard to the (2) No young person shall be employed contin- (4) Provided that nothing in this Act shall prevent 25 30 9.-(1) Every person who occupies an office shall, occupation within three months after the passing of this Act or 35 within one month after he begins to occupy an office, forward to the local sanitary authority a written notice containing the name of the office, the place where it is situate, the address to which he desires his letters to be addressed, the nature of the work, and the name 40 and address of the employer under which the business A.D. 1926. of the office is to be carried on. (2) In the event of a contravention of this section by the occupier of an office he shall be liable to a fine 5 not exceeding five pounds. 10. (1) There shall be affixed at the entrance of Affixing of every office, and in such other parts thereof as the abstract local sanitary authority directs, and be constantly and notice. kept so affixed in the prescribed form and in such 10 position as to be easily read by persons employed in the office 15 20 25 (a) an abstract of this Act; and (b) a notice of the name and address of the local (c) every notice and document required by this Act (2) In the event of a contravention of this section in an office, the employer shall be liable to a fine not exceeding forty shillings. 11. (1) In every office there shall be kept by the General employer a register, called the general register, showing, registers. in a form to be prescribed by the Minister of Health, particulars as to (a) the young persons employed in the office; and (c) such other matters as may be prescribed. (2) Where any entry is required by this Act to be made in the general register, the entry made by the employer or on his behalf shall, as against him, be 30 admissible as primâ facie evidence of the facts therein stated, and the failure to make any entry so required with respect to the observance of any provision of this Act shall be admissible as primâ facie evidence that that provision has not been observed. 35 (3) The employer shall send to the local sanitary authority such extracts from the general register as they from time to time require for the execution of their duties under this Act. (4) If in any office any requirement of this section 40 is not complied with, the employer shall be liable to a fine not exceeding five pounds. A.D. 1926. Periodical return of persons employed. Local sanitary authority to carry out Act. Appointment of inspectors and 12. The employer shall, on or before such days as the Minister of Health may direct, at intervals of not less than one nor more than three years, send to the local sanitary authority a correct return specifying, with respect to such days or day, or such period as the Minister may 5 direct, the number of persons employed in the office, with such particulars as to the age, sex, and occupation of the persons employed, as the Minister may direct, and in default of complying with this section shall be liable to a fine not exceeding ten pounds. 10 13.—(1) It shall be the duty of the local sanitary authority to carry out the provisions of this Act, and for the purpose of their duties with respect to offices under this Act and under the law relating to public health, the local sanitary authority and their officers 15 shall, without prejudice to their other powers, have all such powers of entry, inspection, taking legal proceedings or otherwise as an inspector under the Factory and Workshop Act, 1901. (2) Provided that if the Minister is satisfied that the 20 provisions of this Act, or of the law relating to public health in so far as it affects offices, have not been carried out by the local sanitary authority, he may, by order, authorise an inspector to take, during such period as may be mentioned in the order, such steps as appear necessary 25 or proper for enforcing those provisions. (3) An inspector authorised in pursuance of this section shall, for the purpose of his duties thereunder, have the same powers with respect to offices as he would have with respect to factories if appointed by the 30 Secretary of State to act in relation to them, and he may, for that purpose, take the like proceedings for enforcing the provisions of this Act or of the law relating to public health, or for punishing or remedying any default, as might be taken by the local sanitary authority; and 35 he shall be entitled to recover from the local sanitary authority all such expenses in and about any proceedings as he may incur and as are not recovered from any other person. 14. An inspector shall for the purposes of the 40 other persons for execution of this Act have all the powers conferred of duties under by sections one hundred and nineteen and one hundred and twenty of the Factory and Workshop Act, 1901; the performance this Act. GEO. 5. and those sections and section one hundred and twenty- A.D. 1926. one of the said Act shall apply with the necessary modifications. 15.-(1) If an office is not kept in conformity with Fine for 5 this Act, the employer shall be liable to a fine not exceed- not keeping ing ten pounds, and in the case of a second or subsequent office in conformity conviction in relation to the same office, not less than with Act. twenty pounds for each offence. (2) The court of summary jurisdiction, in addition 10 to or in lieu of inflicting a fine, may order certain means to be adopted by the employer within the time named in the order for the purpose of bringing the office into conformity with this Act. The court may on application extend the time so named, but if after the expiration of 15 the time as originally named or extended by subsequent order the order is not complied with, the employer shall be liable to a fine not exceeding five pounds for every day on which the non-compliance continues. (3) Where any person is employed in an office 20 contrary to the provisions of this Act the employer shall be liable to a fine not exceeding three or, if the offence was committed during the night, five pounds for each person so employed, and in the case of a second or subsequent conviction of not less than ten pounds for 25 each offence. 16. An employer shall not be liable in respect of a Limit to repetition of the same kind of offence from day to day cumulative to any larger amount of fines than the highest fine fixed fines. by this Act for the offence, except where the repetition 30 of the offence occurs after an information has been laid for the previous offence. covery and application of fines. 17. All offences under this Act shall be prosecuted, Prosecution and all fines under this Act shall be recovered, in like of offences and remanner as offences and fines are prosecuted and re35 covered under the Factory and Workshop Act, 1901, and sections one hundred and forty-four to one hundred and forty-eight of that Act shall, so far as the same are consistent with the provisions of this Act, apply with the necessary modifications. - 40 18. (1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise General requiresdefinitions. The expression "office" means any room, suite of to perform clerical, professional or technical duties wholly or in part in any capacity; The expression "employer" includes any body of persons, corporate or incorporate, and the legal personal representative of a deceased employer; The expression "occupier " includes any person from time to time deriving title under the original owner or occupier; 5 The expression "local sanitary authority" includes The expressions "night," week," and " young person" shall have the same meaning as in section 20 one hundred and fifty-six of the Factory and Workshop Act, 1901. (2) An office shall not be deemed to be ventilated in a sufficient manner unless the air therein is completely changed at least twice in every hour whilst persons are 25 employed therein. (3) For the purposes of this Act employment shall be deemed to be continuous unless interrupted by an interval of at least an hour. 19. In the application of this Act to Scotland the 30 provisions of section one hundred and fifty-nine of the Factory and Workshop Act, 1901, shall, so far as they are consistent with the provisions of this Act, apply with the necessary modifications. 20.-(1) In the application to the Administrative 35 County of London, references to the local sanitary authority in sections five and six of this Act shall be construed as references to the London County Council and the expenses of the London County Council in the execution of those sections shall be defrayed as part 40 of their expenses in the management of the London Building Act, 1894. |