38o BIOLOGY AND HUMAN LIFE 



conditions under which the work is carried on. In the making 

 of chinaware and pottery, for example, there may be danger of 

 lead poisoning ; in clothing manufacture danger may arise from 

 badly ventilated workrooms. As soon as we recognize that the 

 objectionable conditio7ts are not necessary, we must take steps 

 to find remedies ; and as science has helped to improve condi- 

 tions of living and to increase production, it can be made to im- 

 prove conditions of working. 



284. Physical conditions. In many industries it is impos- 

 sible to prevent the formation of dirt of various kinds. When- 

 ever this has an effect upon the physical health it should be 

 removed from the immediate vicinity of the workers as quickly 

 as possible. In any case there should be facilities for thorough 

 washing before lunch is eaten, and at the close of the day's 

 work. Modern stores and factories provide lockers in which 

 workers may keep their street clothes, as well as washing facil- 

 ities (including in some cases shower baths), so that workers 

 may be clean and self-respecting when they leave the works. 

 The supply of suitable drinking water and of toilets is also es- 

 sential for keeping workers in good health. There should be 

 places for eating lunch separate from the working rooms, even 

 though the latter are clean, light, and airy. Whenever it is pos- 

 sible to do so, workers should get away from the office or fac- 

 tory entirely during the lunch period, to get as complete a 

 change of air and surroundings as the available time will permit. 



In many states the laws prescribe a minimum air space for 

 each worker in industrial plants. In most cases this space is four 

 hundred cubic feet, exclusive of machinery or furniture. This 

 amount of space makes it possible to change the air fast enough 

 to remove the heat and moisture given off by the body, and the 

 organic matter given off by the lungs, without causing a draft. 



The temperature of the air has an important bearing on the 

 worker's health (see page i68). In some industries the processes 

 themselves call for a higher or a lower temperature than is best 

 for human beings. Where the character of the work requires a 

 low temperature, as in packing houses, refrigerating plants, and 



