Britain: An official handbook > 1977

348
Employment
Medical Advisory
Service
Scientific Support
for Occupational
Health
Employers’
Health Services
Other
Amenities
Safety, Health
and Welfare
in Northern
Ireland
BRITAIN 1977: AN OFFICIAL HANDBOOK
Children and Young Persons Acts 1933-63 as well as the Education Acts
1944-48, to regulate hours and conditions of employment of children within
their areas.
The Employment Medical Advisory Service (EMAS), set up under the Employ¬
ment Medical Advisory Service Act 1972 and now part of the Health and Safety
Executive, provides a nation-wide service of advice on the medical aspects of
employment problems to employers, employees, trade unions, doctors and
others. It carries out medical examinations of workers in hazardous occupa¬
tions and surveys of employment hazards, advises the staff of the Manpower
Services Commission on medical aspects of job placement, rehabilitation and
industrial training and co-operates with school medical officers and careers
officers in helping to solve the employment problems of handicapped school
leavers. The service, headed by the Health and Safety Executive s Director of
Medical Services, has over 100 employment medical advisers based in the
country’s main industrial centres. The TUC, the CBI and other interested
organisations are associated with the work of the service through advisory
committees.
The Occupational Medicine and Hygiene Laboratories of the Health and Safety
Executive at Cricklewood, north London, provide laboratory services and
undertake research in the field of occupational health. Among other things
these laboratories assist EMAS in the analysis of blood and urine samples,
while the Factory Inspectorate also looks to the laboratories as a main source of
laboratory assistance.
Research facilities are provided by government agencies such as the Medica
Research Council; by university faculties of industrial health and social
medicine; and by the research departments of various industries and large
industrial concerns. Field investigations are carried out by the Factory
Inspectorate, which has specialised technical branches, and by the EMAS.
Many employers voluntarily maintain medical services for their employees
over and above the statutory requirements. The big employers, including the
State and the boards of nationalised industries, have taken the lead but a
number of smaller factories also provide medical services and in a few cases
have joined together in group medical services.
An increasing number of firms pay part or all of the cost of recreational facilities.
Some have their own rehabilitation centres or support convalescent homes.
The provision of low-priced meals at the place of employment has become
usual in large undertakings and quite common in smaller ones. Many offices and
shops which are unable to provide canteen facilities for their staff have adopted
luncheon voucher schemes.
The safety, health and welfare of employees in Northern Ireland have been the
subject of legislation which is embodied in the Factories Act (Northern Ireland)
1965 and the Office and Shop Premises Act (Northern Ireland) 1966. A number
of firms voluntarily employ safety officers, and industrial safety groups,
supported by representatives of industry, insurance companies and public
authorities, make a valuable contribution to accident prevention.