Cleaning, smoothing, roughening, etc., of articles by a jet of sand, metal shot or grit or other abrasive propelled by a blast of compressed air or steam.
1. Definitions .--- For the purposes of this schedule ---
“Blasting” means cleaning, smoothing, roughening or removing of any part of the surface of any article by the use as an abrasive jet of sand metal shot, or graft or other material, propelled by a blast of compressed air or steam.
“Blast enclosures” means a chamber, barrel cabinet or any other enclosure designed for the performance of blasting therein.
“Blasting chamber” means a blasting enclosure in which any person may enter at any time in connection with any work or otherwise.
“Cleaning of castings”, where done as an incidental or supplemental process in connection with the making of metal castings, means, the freeing of the casting from adherent sand or other substance and includes the removal of cores and the general smoothening of a casting, but does not include the free treatment.
2. Prohibition of sand blasting .--- Sand or any other substance containing free silica shall not be introduced as an abrasive into any blasting apparatus and shall not be used for blasting :
Provided that this clause shall come into force two years after the coming into operation of this Schedule :
3. Precautions in connection with blasting operations .--- (1) Blasting to be done in blasting enclosure.---Blasting shall not be done except in a blasting enclosure and no work other than blasting and any work immediately incidental thereto and cleaning and repairing of the enclosure including the plants and appliances situated therein, shall be performed in a blasting enclosure. Every door, aperture and joint of blasting enclosure shall be kept closed and air-tight, while blasting is being done therein.
(2) Maintenance of blasting enclosure. --- Blasting enclosure shall always be maintained in good condition and effective measures shall be taken to prevent dust escaping from such enclosure, and from apparatus connected therewith, into the air of any room.
(3) Provision of separating apparatus. --- There shall be provided and maintained in connection with every blasting enclosure, efficient apparatus for separating, so far as practicable, abrasive which has been used for blasting and which is to be used again as an abrasive, from dust or particles of other materials arising from blasting and no such abrasive shall be introduced into any blasting apparatus and used for blasting until it has been so separated :
Provided that this clause shall not apply, except in the case of blasting chamber, to blasting enclosures constructed or installed before the coming into force of this schedule, if the Chief Inspector is of opinion that it is not reasonably practicable to provided such separating apparatus.
(4) Provision of ventilating plant. --- There shall be provided and maintained in connection with every blasting enclosure efficient ventilating plant to extract by exhaust draught effected by mechanical means, dust produced in the enclosure. The dust extracted and removed shall be disposed of any such method and in such manner that it shall not escape into the air of any room and every other filtering or settling device situated in a room in which persons are employed other than persons attending to such bag or other filtering or settling device shall be completely separated from the general air of that room in an enclosure ventilated to the open air.
(5) Operation of ventilating plant. --- The ventilating plant provided for the purpose of sub-clause (4) shall be kept in continuous operation whenever the blasting enclosure is in use whether or not blasting is actually taking place therein, and in the case of blasting chamber, it shall be in operation even when any person is inside the chamber for the purpose of cleaning.
4. Inspection and examination .--- (1) Every blasting enclosure shall be specially inspected by a competent person at least once in every week in which it is used for blasting. Every blasting enclosure the apparatus connected therewith and the ventilating plant shall be thoroughly examined and in the case of ventilating plant, tested by a competent person at least once in every month.
(2) Particulars of the result of every such inspection, examination or test shall forthwith be entered in a register which shall be kept in a form approved by the Chief Inspector and shall be available for inspection by an Inspector or any workman employed or in connection with blasting in the factory. Any defect found on any such inspection, examination or test shall be immediately reported by the person carrying out the inspection, examination or test to the occupier, Manager or other appropriate person and without prejudice to the foregoing requirements of this Schedule, shall be removed without avoidable delay.
5. Provisions of protect helmets, gauntlets and overalls .--- (1) There shall be provided and maintained for the use of all persons who are employed in a blasting chamber, whether in blasting or in any work connected therewith or in cleaning such a chamber, protector helmets of a type approved by a certificate of the Chief Inspector; and every such person shall wear the helmet provided for this use whilst he is in the chamber and shall not remove until he is outside the chamber.
(2) Each protective helmet shall carry a distinguishing mark indicating the person by which it is intended to be used and no person shall be allowed or required to wear a helmet not carrying his mark or a helmet which has been worn by another person and has not since been thoroughly disinfected.
(3) Each protective helmet when in use shall be supplied with clean and not unreasonably cold air at a rate of not less than 0.17 cubic metre per minute.
(4) Suitable gauntlets and overall shall be provided for the use of all persons while performing blasting or assisting at blasting and every such person shall, while so engaged, wear the gauntlet and overall provided.
6. Precautions in connection with cleaning and other work.--- (1) Where any person is engaged upon cleaning of any blasting apparatus or blasting enclosure or of any apparatus or ventilating plant connected therewith or the surroundings thereof or upon any other work in connection with any blasting apparatus or blasting enclosure or with any apparatus or ventilating plant connected therewith so that he is exposed to the risk of inhaling dust which has arisen from blasting, all practicable measures shall be taken to prevent such inhalation.
(2) In connection with any cleaning operation referred to in Paragraph 5, and with the removal of dust from filtering or settling devices all practicable measures shall be taken to dispose of the dust in such a manner that id does not enter the air of any room. Vacuum cleaners shall be provided and used wherever practicable for such cleaning operations.
7. Storage accommodation for protective wear.--- Adequate and suitable storage accommodation for the helmets, gauntlets and overalls required to be provided by clause 5 shall be provided outside, and conveniently near to, every blasting enclosure and such accommodation shall be kept clean. Helmets, gauntlets and overalls when not in actual use shall be kept in this accommodation.
8. Maintenance and cleaning of protective wear.--- All helmets, gauntlets, overalls and other protective devices or clothings provided and worn for the purposes of this schedule, shall; be kept in good condition and so far as is reasonably practicable shall be cleaned on every week day in which they are used. Where dust arising from the cleaning of such protective clothing or devices are likely to be inhaled, all practicable measures shall be taken to prevent such inhalation. Vacuum cleaners shall wherever practicable be used for removing dust from such clothing and compressed air shall not be used for removing dust from any clothing.
9. Maintenance of vacuum cleaning plant.--- Vacuum cleaning plant used for the purpose of this Schedule shall be properly maintained.
9-A. Medical facilities and records of examinations and test.--- (1) The occupier of every factory to which the Schedule applies, shall---
(a) employ a qualified medical practitioner for medical surveillance of the worker employed therein whose employment shall be subject to the approval of the Chief Inspector of Factories; and
(b) Provide to the said medical practitioner all the necessary facilities for the purpose referred to in clause (a).
(2) The record of medical examinations and appropriate test carried out by the medical practitioner shall be maintained in a separate register approved by the Chief Inspector of Factories, which shall be kept readily available for inspection by the Inspector.
9-B. Medical examination by Certifying Surgeon.--- (1) Every worker employed in any of the processes to which this schedule applies shall be examined by a Certifying Surgeon within 15 days of his first employment. Such examination shall include pulmonary function test and chest X-Ray. No worker shall be allowed to work after 15 days of his first employment in the factory unless certified fir for such employment by the Certifying Surgeon.
(2) Every worker employed in the said processes shall be re-examined by a Certifying Surgeon at least once in every 12 calendar months and such re-examination shall, wherever the Certifying Surgeon considers appropriate, include pulmonary function test and chest X-ray once in every three years.
(3) The Certifying Surgeon after examining a worker, shall issue a Certificate of fitness in Form 27. The record of examination and re-examinations carried out shall be entered in the Certificate and the Certificate shall be kept in the custody of the Manager of the Factory. The record of each examination carried under sub-paragraphs (1) and (2), including the nature and the results of the test, shall also be entered by the Certifying Surgeon in the Health Register in Form 17.
(4) The Certificate of Fitness and the health register shall be kept readily available for inspection by the Inspector.
(5) If at any time Certifying Surgeon is of the opinion that a worker is no longer fit for employment in the said processes on the ground that continuance therein would involve special danger to the health of the worker, he shall make a record of his findings in the said certificate and the health register. The entry of his findings in those documents should also include the period for which he considers that the said person is unfit for work in the said processes. The person so suspended from the process, shall be provided with alternate placement facilities unless he is fully incapacitated in the opinion of the Certifying Surgeon, in which case the person affected shall be suitably rehabilitated.
(6) No person who has been found unfit to work in the said processes as said in sub-paragraph (5) above shall be re-employed or permitted to work unless the Certifying Surgeon, after further examination, again certified him fit for employment in those processes.
10. Restrictions in employment of young persons and prohibition of employment of women.--- No woman or person under 18 years of age shall be employed or permitted to work at blasting or assist at blasting or in any blasting chamber or in the cleaning of the blasting apparatus or any blasting enclosure or any apparatus on ventilating plant connected therewith or be employed on maintenance or repair work at such apparatus, enclosure or plant.
11. Power to exempt or relax.--- (1) If the Chief Inspector is satisfied that in any factory or any class of factories, the use of sand or other substance containing free silica as an abrasive blasting is necessary for a particular manufacture or process (other than the process incidental or supplemental to making of metal castings) and at the manufacture or process cannot be carried on without the use of such abrasive or that owing to the special conditions or special method of work or otherwise any requirement of this schedule can be suspended either temporarily or permanently, or can be relaxed without endangering the health of the persons employed or that application of any of with the previous sanction of the State Government, by an order in writing exempt the said factory or class of factories from such provisions of this schedule to such an extent and subject to such conditions and for such period as may be specified in the said order.
(2) Where an exemption has been granted under sub-clause (1), a copy of the order shall be displayed at a notice board at a prominent place at the maintenance or entrances to the factory and also at the place where the blasting is carried on.