Interpretation

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires, “Director of Health Services” includes all persons employed by the Public Services Commission in the exercise and performance of any powers and duties conferred on the Director of Health Services by this Act; “health officer” means the Director of Health Services, any medical officer of health or public health inspector; “house” includes schools and buildings in which more than ten persons are employed at one time; 13 “improvement” means the work in respect of which private improvement expenses have been incurred; “improved property” means the property on which any improvement has been executed; “master” means the master, officer, or other person for the time being in charge or command of a vessel; “medical officer of health” means a duly qualified medical practitioner appointed as such under section 3 of this Act; “new building” includes, (a) the re-erection, wholly or partially, of any building of which an outer wall is pulled down or burnt down to or within ten feet of the surface of the ground adjoining the lowest storey of the building, and of any frame building so far pulled down or burnt down as to leave only the frame work of the lowest storey; (b) the conversion into a dwelling-house of any building not originally constructed for human habitation, or the conversion into more than one dwelling-house of a building originally constructed as one dwelling-house only; (c) the re-conversion into a dwelling-house of any building which has been discontinued as or appropriated for any purpose other than that of a dwelling-house; (d) the making of any addition to an existing building by raising any part of the roof, by altering a wall, or making any projection from the building, but so far as regards the addition only; or 14 (e) the roofing or covering over of an open space between walls or buildings; “officer” means any person employed by the Public Services Commission or a Town Council to perform any duty under this Act; “owner” means the person for the time receiving the rent of the lands or premises in connection with which the word is used, whether on his own account or as agent or representative for any other person, or who would so receive it if such lands or premises were let at a rent; “person” includes any body of persons whether corporate or unincorporate; “premises” includes messages, buildings, lands, easements, and hereditaments; “private improvement expenses” means expenses declared to be private improvement expenses under this Act, or under any other law for the time being in force; “regulations” means the regulations made under this Act; “reservoir” means any receptacle for the storage of fresh water which is not a tank as defined in this section; “sanitary purposes” means purposes of this Act; “street” includes any highway and any public bridge, also any road, lane, footway, square, court, alley, or passage, whether a thoroughfare or not; “tank” means any receptacle for the storage of rain water made of wood, iron, brick, stone or concrete; 15 “Town Council” means the Belize City Council, the Belmopan City Council and any Town Council constituted under the Town Councils Act, Cap. 87; “vermin” includes rats, mice, fleas, lice, bugs, cockroaches, and mosquitoes, and all animals or insects considered capable of spreading disease among human beings or animals, whether directly or indirectly, and the expression “verminous” has a corresponding meaning; “vessel” means any ship, vessel, boat or other floating craft.