Rule 149. Electricity Rules

These rules shall apply to all factories-

(1) Definitions:-

(a) "Authorised person" means a person over 21 years of age who may be either-

(i) The occupier or

(ii) Contractor for the time being under contract with the occupier or

(iii) A person employed, appointed or selected by the occupier or by a contractor as a foresaid, to carry out certain duties incidental to the generation, transformation, conversion switching, controlling, regulating, distribution or use of electrical energy, such occupier, contractor or person being a person who is competent for the purposes of the rule in which the terms is used.

(b) "Apparatus” means electrical apparatus, and includes all apparatus, machines and fittings in which conductors are used or of which they form apart.

(c) "Bare" means not covered with insulating material.

(d) "Circuit " means an electrical circuit forming a system or branch of a system

(e) "Conductor" means an electrical conductor arranged to be electrically connected to a system.

(f) "Covered with insulating material" means' adequately covered with insulating materials of such quality and thickness that there is no danger.

(g) "Danger" means danger to health or danger to life or limb from shock, burn, or other injury to persons employed, or from fire attendant upon generation, transformation, distribution or use of electrical energy.

(h) "Dead” means at, or about, zero potential, and disconnected from any live system.

(i) "Earthed" means connected to the general mass of earth in such manner as will ensure at all time an immediate discharge of electrical energy without danger.

(j) "Insulating Stand" means a floor, platform stand or mat. (k)"Insulating Screen means a screen.

(k)"Insulating Books" means books.

(l) "Insulating Gloves" means gloves. (of such size, quality and construction according to the circumstance soft he uses there of, that a person is there by adequately protected from danger).

(m) "Live" means electrically charged.

(n) "Pressure" means the difference of electrical potential between any two conductors or between, a conductor and earth as read by a hot wire an electrostatic Volta meter.

(o) "Low pressure" means a pressure in a system normally not exceeding 250 volts where the electrical energy is used.

(p) "Medium pressure" means a pressure in a system normally above 250 volts but not exceeding 650 volts where electrical energy is used.

(q) "High pressure" means a pressure in a system normally above 650 volts, but not exceeding 3,000 volts, where the electrical energy is used or supplied.

(r) "Extra High pressure" means a pressure in a system normally exceeding 3,000 volts where the electrical energy is used or supplied.

(s) "Switch Board" means the collection of switches or fuses, conductors and other apparatus in connection there with, used for the purpose of controlling the current or pressure in any system or part of a system.

(t) "Switch Board Passage-way" means any passage way or compartment large enough for a person to enter, and used in connection with switch board when live.

(u) "System" means an electrical system in which all the conductors and apparatus are electrically connected to a common source of electro motive force.

(2) All apparatus and conductors shall be adequate in size and power for the work they are called upon to do and so constructed, installed, protected, worked and maintained as to prevent danger so far as reasonably practicable.

(3) Every electrical joint and connection shall be of proper construction as regards conductivity, insulation, mechanical strength and protection.

(4) Efficient means, suitably located, shall be provided for protecting from excess of current to every part of a system as may be necessary to prevent danger.

(5) All parts, of generators, motors, transformers, or other similar apparatus, within reach from any position in which any person employed may be required to be, shall be, so far as reasonably practicable, so protected as to prevent danger.

(6) All accessible metallic portions of electrical plant or apparatus which though normally not forming part of an electrical circuit, may become alive, accidentally, shall be protected by an insulating covering or by other adequate means or shall be connected to earth by a conductor of adequate size.

(7) Adequate working space and means of access, free from danger shall be provided for all apparatus which have to be worked or attended to by any person.

(8) Where one of the conductors of a system is connected to earth, no single pole switch other than a link for testing purposes, or switch for use in controlling a generator shall be placed in such conductor or any branch thereof.

(9) Every fuse and every automatic circuit-breaker used instead there of shall be so constructed and arranged as effectively to interrupt the current before it so exceeds the working rate as to involve danger. It shall be of such construction or be so guarded or placed as to prevent danger from over heating, or from arcing or the scattering of hot metal or other substance which it comes into operation. Every fuse shall be either of such construction or so protected by a switch that the fusible metal may be readily renewed without danger.

(10) Conductors which in accordance with the conditions of operation are required to be earthed shall, as a general rule not be protected by fuses.

(11) The general arrangement of switch-boards shall, so far as reasonably practicable, be such that:-

(a) All parts which may have to be adjusted or handled are readily accessible

(b) The course of every conductor may, where necessary, be readily traced; well apart,

(c) conductors arranged for connection to the same system are kept and can, where necessary, be readily distinguished;

(d) All bare conductors are so placed or protected as to prevent danger from accident short circuit.

(12) Every switch board having bare conductors normally so exposed that they may be touched, shall, if not located in any area or areas set apart for the purposes thereof, where necessary be suitably fenced or enclosed. No person except an authorised person, or a person acting under his immediate supervision, shall, for the purpose of carrying out his duties, have access to any part of an area so set apart.

(13) Every motor shall be provided with an efficient switch or circuit breaker for starting and stopping the motor, so placed as to be easily and safely operated by the person controlling the motor. Such a switch or circuit breaker may be embodied in the starting controlling device used with the motor.

(14) In every place in which machines are being driven by an electric motor, there shall be means at hand for either switching off the motor, or stopping machines if necessary to prevent danger.

(15) Every flexible wire for portable apparatus shall be connected to the system either by efficient permanent joints or connections, or by a properly constructed connector. In all cases where the person handling portable apparatus or pendent lamps with switches, would be liable to get a shock through a conducting floor or conducting work or otherwise, if the metal work of the portable apparatus became charged, the metal work must be efficiently earthed; and any flexible metallic covering of the conductors shall be itself efficiently earthed and shall not itself be the only earth connection or the metal of the apparatus. A lamp holder shall not be in metallic connection with the guard or other metal work of a portable lamp. In such places the portable apparatus and its flexible wire shall be controlled by efficient means suitably located, and capable of cutting of the pressure, and the metal work shall be efficiently earthed independently of any flexible metallic cover of the conductors and any such flexible covering shall itself be independently earthed.

(16) In plug and socket connection for transportable apparatus the socket shall be connected to the conductor and the plug to the appliance.

(17) Plug for connecting moveable conductors shall he of such construction that they do not get in the socket connections meant for higher current. Plug and socket connection shall be of such construction that the plug cannot be inserted or withdrawn while the current is on.

(18) Efficient means, suitably located, shall be provided for cutting off all pressure from every part of a system as may be necessary to prevent danger.

(19) All conductors shall either be covered with insulating material and further efficiently protected where necessary to prevent danger or they shall be so placed and safeguarded as to prevent danger so far as is reasonably practicable.

(20) Knife switches shall be of such construction that the breaking area cannot reach the operating handle and they shall be so connected that when open the blades are dead.

(21) All conductors and apparatus exposed to the weather wet corrosion, inflammable surroundings or explosive atmosphere, or used in any process or for any special purpose other than for lighting or power, shall be so constructed or protected, and such special precautions shall be taken as may be necessary to prevent danger in view of such exposure or use.

(22) In any place where inflammable substance or explosive dust or gas is liable to be present

(a) No lamp except in can descent lamp with its holder completely enclosed in a fitting having thick glass glove and an adequate radiating surface shall be used.

(b) All generators, motors, plants and their tunnels and every electrical fitting shall be of gas tight construction.

(c) The cables for their entire length shall be enclosed in the gas tight conduits.

(d) No portable apparatus shall be used unless such apparatus is approved by the Chief Inspector.

(e) Switches, cut outs and all other accessories liable to are shall where practicable be located outside such places, but where this is impracticable, they shall be of flame-proof type.

(23) Adequate precautions shall be taken to prevent any conductor or apparatus from being accidentally or inadvertently electrically charged when persons are working thereon.

(24) Where necessary insulating stands or screens shall be provided adequately to prevent danger and kept permanently in position, and shall be maintained in sound condition.

(25) Portable insulating stands, screens, boots, or other suitable means shall be provided and used when necessary adequately to prevent danger, and shall be periodically examined by an authorised person. A record of such examinations shall be kept in suitable register which shall be readily available for perusal by an Inspector.

(26) No person except an authorised person or a competent person acting under his immediate supervision shall undertake any work where technical knowledge or experience is required in order adequately to avoid danger; and no person shall work alone in any case in which the Chief Inspector directs that he shall not. No person except an authorized person or a competent person over 21 years of age acting under his immediate supervision, shall undertake any repair, alteration, extension, cleaning or similar work where technical knowledge or experience is required in order to avoid danger, and no one shall do such work unaccompanied.

(27) When work is being carried on the power lines a notice board of a size not less than 1'-0" x 0'- 9" labelled in red "Caution, person working on line" and its equivalent in vernacular shall be placed on the switch board.

(28) Instructions, both in English and in the vernacular of the district as to the treatment of persons from electric shock, shall be affixed in all premises where electrical energy is generated, transformed, converted, switched, controlled, regulated, distributed or used.

(29) Exemptions:

(a) Nothing in this rule shall apply to any service lines or apparatus on the supply side of the consumer's terminal or to any chamber containing such service or apparatus where the supply is obtained from an outside authority.

Provided always that no live metal is exposed so that it may be touched

(b) This rule shall not apply to any installation generating, transforming, converting or using electrical energy at a voltage of 24 volts or less.

(c) The State Government may by order exempt from the operation of this rule either in whole or in part any premises to which any special rules or regulations under any other Act as to the generation, transformation, conversion, controlling, switching. Distribution and use of electrical energy apply, and may revoke order.

(d) If the occupier can show, with regard to any requirement of this rule, that special conditions in his premises are such as adequately to prevent danger, that requirement shall be deemed to be satisfied and the Chief Inspector may by order in writing direct, that any class of special condition defined in the requirements of this rule adequately to prevent danger are satisfied, and revoke such order. In particular the following shall be deemed for all the purposes of this rule adequately to prevent danger-Room in which-(a) the floor is of wood or otherwise insulated handling (b) there is no machinery or other earthed metal with which a person contacts any non-earthed lamp fittings or any portable lamp is liable to be in (c) no process rendering the floor wet is carried on and

(d) no live conductor is normally exposed so that it may be touched