Factories Act 1937

46Welfare regulations.

(1)Where it appears to the Secretary of State that owing to the conditions and circumstances of employment or the nature of the processes carried on, provision requires to be made in relation to any of the matters to which this section applies for securing the welfare of the persons employed or any class of them, he may make special regulations requiring such reasonable steps to be taken in connection therewith as may be specified in the regulations, either in addition to, or in substitution for, or by way of extension or variation of, any of the foregoing provisions of this Part of this Act.

(2)This section applies to the matters dealt with in the foregoing provisions of this Part of this Act; to arrangements for preparing or heating, and taking, meals ; to the supply of protective clothing; to ambulance and first-aid arrangements; to the supply and use of seats in workrooms; to rest rooms; and to arrangements for the supervision of persons employed.

(3)This section shall not apply to factories in which the only persons employed are members of the same family dwelling there.

(4)Special regulations under this section are in this Act referred to as “welfare regulations ” and any such regulations may—

(a)be made for a particular factory or for factories of any class or description;

(b)be made contingent in respect of particular requirements upon application being made by a specified number or proportion of the employed persons concerned, and prescribe the manner in which the views of the persons employed are to be ascertained;

(c)provide for the employed persons concerned being associated in the management of the arrangements, accommodation or other facilities for which provision is made, in any case where a portion of the cost is contributed by the persons employed; but no contribution shall be required from the persons employed in any factory, except for the purpose of providing additional or special benefits which, in the opinion of the Secretary of State, could not reasonably be required to be provided by the employer alone, and unless two-thirds at least of the employed persons affected in that factory, on their views being ascertained in the prescribed manner, assent.

(5)Welfare regulations may impose duties on owners and, so far as relates to the use of any facilities provided, on employed persons.

(6)The Secretary of State may by regulations extend the matters to which this section applies so as to include other matters affecting the welfare of employed persons or any class of them.