Annual report / Province of Manitoba, Department of Health and Welfare.

  • Manitoba. Department of Health and Public Welfare.
Date:
[1957]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report / Province of Manitoba, Department of Health and Welfare. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    54/236 (page 52)
    each year so that the general effectiveness of plant operation may be increased not only by providing formal instruction to the men in charge of these utilities, but also by arranging for subsequent periodic visits to the actual installations in the field.. Due to supervisory staff shortage, it was not feasible to carry out any public health engineering research during the year, but plans have been made to resume this important phase of work in 1958. The Engineering Bureau of Manitoba has, since the inauguration of the Federal Health Grant Scheme, carried out more basic research than any other contemporary engineering branch. The engineering staff not only co-operated with other branches of the government in the common goal of improved public health, but participated in such important functions as the proceedings of the Provincial Board of Health, the work of the Pro¬ vincial Sanitary Control Commission, and the organization and operation of the Western Canada Conference on Water and Sewage. The bureau is working in close accord with the Forestry Branch, the Fisheries Branch, and the Oil and Natural Gas Conservation Board—all of the Department of Mines and Natural Resources—in joint projects which concern the public health and the safeguarding of our natural water resources. Public Health Engineering in Manitoba There is a gradual change in emphasis from that of direct engineering service on an individual basis to a more general approach through municipal channels. This is a natural outgrowth of the increasing effectiveness of the local health unit system now in vogue in the province, the strategic locating of district sanitary inspectors, and the tremendous increase in the number of municipal waterworks and sewerage systems. (See Appendix). As a result of this development program, several changes in priority of engineer¬ ing service have, quite naturally, resulted. It is obvious that by assisting in the provision of a municipal water system of good quality, the health of a relatively large number of individuals may be protected more easily and more effectively than in the supervision of private water sources such as wells. Projects for the installa¬ tion of municipal utilities are passed to the bureau by consulting engineers for technical scrutiny on behalf of the Minister of Health and Public Welfare. As the construction phase proceeds under the direction of the consultants, close contact is kept with the local project. Such items as the bactericidal treatment of the water mains, the sampling of the water supply for bacterial content, and the checking of effectiveness of both water purification and sewage treatment processes automatically fall within the work program of the public health engineers. As a supplement to this activity, the bureau runs a course for waterworks and sewerage plant operating personnel. Separate stages of instruction are planned for each of three successive years so that the municipal employee is away from his work for only a few days at a time. These courses have been very successful as is indicated by the response from municipal officials and the appreciation of the operators them¬ selves. A summary of the number of personnel attending in the past three years is indicated below: Waterworks and Sewerage Plant Operators’ Courses—Attendance First Year Second Year Third Year 1955 . 23 1956 . 29 25 1957 . 18 14 19