The Maharashtra Factory Rules, 1963

SCHEDULE XXVI

Fire Works and Match Factories

Manufacturing of Fire Woks and Match Factories

 

1.     Application: The provisions of this schedule shall apply to all manufacturing process and other processes incidental thereto, carried on in any fire works or match work factories.

2.     Definitions: For the purpose of this Schedule:

(a)  ‘Fire Works Factory’ means any factory or such parts of any factory, wherein the following chemicals or combination of chemicals are used for manufacture of crackers, sparklers, caps, fuses, blasting, and blast powder and fire works, namely-

(i)                Saltpetre

(ii)              Pyrotechnic Aluminium Powder

(iii)            Barium Nitrate

(iv)            Charcoal

(v)              Potassium Chloride

(vi)            Red Phosphorous

(vii)          Gum

(viii)        Dextrine

(ix)            Stronium Nitrate

(x)              Magnesium Powder

(xi)            Copper Coated Wires

(xii)          Steel Filings or Iron Fiings

(xiii)        Galvanized Iron Wire; and

(xiv)        Gun Powder (Black Powder)

(b) ‘Match factory’ means any factory wherein the safety matches or colour matches are manufactured be use of any of the chemicals mentioned in sub-clauses (i) to (xiv) of clause (a) above.

(c)  ‘Breathing apparatus’ means a device covering mouth or nose with necessary connections be means of which a person using it in a poisonous asphyxiating or irritant atmosphere breathes ordinary air; and includes any other suitable apparatus approved by the Director of Industrial Safety and Health in that behalf.

3.     Buildings: (a)The building of a Fire Works or Match Factory shall conform to the standards prescribed under the Indian Explosives Act, 1884( 4 of 1884) and the height of such building shall not be less than three metres,

(b)No building of a Fire Work shall have a first floor

(c) In the Match Factory provided with the first floor, there shall be two staircases of adequate width leading from the first floor to the ground floor and one of such staircases shall be of masonry construction of non-flammable materials.

(d) All doors shall be open outwards and all the doorways shall be kept free from obstructions,

(e) All doors of work rooms shall not be less than 1.2 metres in width and not less than 2 metres in height.

(f) The floor of all work rooms including mixing sheds shall be completely covered by a rubber sheet, having a smooth surface and a thickness of not less than three millimetres. If the floor cannot be covered by a single rubber sheet, it may be overlapped by other rubber sheet of not less than 1.50 millimetres in thickness.

(g) Mixing sheds shall be situated at a distance of 3-5 metres from other sheds and shall be separated by baffle walls, opposite to each exit of the mixing shed.

4. House-Keeping:  (a) Every part of way, work, machinery and plant shall be kept and maintained in a clean and tidy condition.

            (b) Any spillage of materials shall be cleaned without delay

            (c) Close platforms, passages and gangways shall be kept free of any obstructions

5. Electrical Equipments: (a) Whenever, use of electricity is allowed in the factory premises, all leads, etc. shall be in conduits with flameproof junction,

     (b) Electricity shall not be supplied through a lamp with or without a non-conducting handle.

6. Protecting Clothing: (a) Clothes made of artificial fibre like terelene etc. shall not be allowed in a factory.

     (b) All workers shall be supplied with asbestos aprons so as to cover the chest, gonads and thighs of the workers.

     (c) Breathing Apparatus shall be used in a mixing shed to avoid workers inhaling poisonous fumes in the event of an accident.

     (d) In a mixing shed, where aluminium and magnesium powders are used, ‘anti-slat’ footwear shall be supplied with a view to combat static electricity.

     (e) All protective equipments shall be maintained in an efficient, in a clean and hygienic condition.

7. Match Factories: (a) The rooms comprising of two mixing departments, viz.

                 (i) Head compositions, and

                 (ii) Friction composition shall be kept entirely separate from each other and the drains of those two departments shall be kept entirely separate.

     (b) The residue of the head composition shall not be mixed with residue of a Friction composition.

     (c) Rubbish containing the residue of the Head composition and the Friction composition shall be kept and burnt separately.

     (d) The department in which completed matches(matches with heads on) are stored shall be separated from all other departments by means of fire proof walls and doors, providing adequate means of escape in case of fire.

         Provided that, the Director of Industrial Safety and Health, may subject to such conditions as he may deem necessary, exempt any factory, in existence prior to the 1st January 1935 and continuing as such, from operation of the provisions of this clause;

(e)  Splints, veneers and other materials in excess of the quantity required for a day’s manufacture shall be kept in such separate rooms of the factory, where no manufacturing process is carried on. No manufactured material shall be stored in the compound of the factory, except in the godowns, for more than five days after completion of the manufacturing process.

(f)   The storeroom for matches shall be entirely separate by fireproof walls from the buildings used in the manufacturing process.

(g)  The racks in the dipped splint room shall have sides, tops and rear part provided with non-inflammable materials.

(h) The process of packing shall be done in an area away from the place of manufacture, as may be approved by the Director of Industrial Safety and Health.

(i)    No child shall be employed in work, directly connected with the manufacturing process upto the process of final production of matchsticks.

8. Precaution to be taken in connection with manufacture of fuses used in crackers, etc. – (a) Bundles of fuses shall be handled by carrying and shall not be dragged on the floor.

     (b) Drying of fuses, after wrapping, shall be carried out on platforms away from workrooms.

     (c) Cutting shall be done by experienced workers specially employed for the said purpose and shall be done:

                 (i) under proper supervision

                 (ii) on large masonry platform covered with tarpaulin and kept free from grit and pebbles

                 (iii) on a raised platform so that worker can work standing posture, and

                 (iv) by placing the fuse on wooden sleepers kept over wooden blocks. Bricks shall not be used beneath wooden sleepers.

(d) A worker, while on a dangerous operation of manufacturing process of Fire Works and Match Factories shall not-

(i)                Wear clothing sewn with ferrous or steel buttons, buckles or attachments, and

(ii)              Carry iron knives, keys etc. on his person

9. Employment of Women and Children: (1) No women and young person shall be employed on operation involving mixing of chemicals and cutting of fuses.

     (2) No child shall be employed or permitted to work in the manufacturing process of fire works or any other work, operation or process connected therewith or incidental thereto.

10. General: (a) No person other than the worker of a factory, an inspecting officer or other person connected with the manufacturing process shall be allowed to enter in the working area.

     (b) Not more than four persons, at any point of time, shall be employed in any one building where explosive is manufactured.

     (c) Only brass or non-ferrous knives shall be used during manufacturing of fuses and the drying of fuses shall be done at a safe distance from the workrooms

     (d) Only aluminium or plastic rings and not the galvanized iron rings shall be used for filling up chemicals in the inner tubs of crackers.

     (e) Only cardboard containers and trays without steel nails shall be used for storage and day to day working processes.

     (f) At no point of time, mixing materials shall exceed the quantity that is required for half a hour operation of mixing process,

     (g) Wooden racks without iron nails shall be used for drying paper cap sheets. In Amrocess factories, wooden racks shall be provided with asbestos or other fire resistant sheets on three sides, leaving the front side open.

     (h) Dried paper cap sheets shall be carried in wooden trays with four compartments (partitions) carrying a single sheet.

     (i) Each manufacturing shed of a fire works shall have at least two doors facing each other. The doors provided to the work sheds of adjacent rows shall not face each other.

     (j) Doormats shall be provided outside the work room and near all drying platforms where fuses are cut, for cleaning feet;

     (k) Buckets, containers, hoops, locks, nails, screw bolts, nuts, knives, scissors, etc. made of iron shall not be used within the factory premises.

11. Display of Notices: The following notices in the local languages understood by the majority of the workers shall be displayed at a conspicuous place in the factory, namely-

     (i)”Smoking is strictly prohibited”

     (ii) “No one shall carry matches or other igniting materials into the factory”

            (iii) “No worker shall enter in a workroom or other area where he has not been assigned any work”

            (iv) “If any accident occurs in any shed, all workers shall dash to the gates, which serve as out gates of the factory and shall not situate themselves near the affected shed”

            (v) “Any spillage of materials should be cleaned without delay”

            (vi) “Wearing of clothes made of artificial fibre like terene, terelene etc. is prohibited. Clothing sewn with ferrous or steel buttons or buckles or attachments should not be worn”

            (vii) “Footwear with iron nails should not be used”

            (viii) “Workers should not carry with themselves knives and iron keys, etc”

12. First Aid Boxes: (a) The materials required under Rule 76 shall be kept in the First Aid box and four stretchers shall be available for every twenty persons employed in the premises.;

     (b) The person in-charge of First Aid Box shall possess the certificate granted by the St. John’s Ambulance Association for rendering first aid.

13. Exemption: If, having regard to the special conditions or special methods of work or any process, in any factory or by reason of the frequency of the process or for any other reason, the Director of Industrial Safety and Health is satisfied that the application of all or any of the provisions of this Schedule to such factory or process, or for the persons employed in such factory or process, is not necessary, he may by with the prior approval of the Government and subject to such conditions as he may deem expedient, with a view to ensure safety and Health of the workers of the factory, exempt factory or part thereof or process or a person from operation of all or any of these provisions.

Provided that, the Director of Industrial Safety and Health may at any time with prior approval of Government revoke such order without assigning any reason.