Schedule ‘H’(viii)

CLEANING OR SMOOTHING 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 -

(a) ‘blasting’ means cleaning, smoothing, roughening, or removing of any part of the surface

of any article by the use of an abrasive jet of sand, metal shot, or graft or other material,

propelled by a blast of compressed air or steam;

(b) ‘blasting enclosure’ means a chamber, barrel, cabinet or any other enclosure designed

for the performance of blasting therein;

(c) ‘blasting chamber’ means a blasting enclosure in which any person may enter at any

time in connection with any work or otherwise; and

(d) ‘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.

(e) First Employment" means first employment in any of the processes to which this

schedule apply and shall also include re-employment in such Process following any

cessation of employment for a continuous period exceeding three calendar months, and

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.

Provided further that no woman or young person shall be employed or permitted to work

at any operation of sand blasting.

3. Precautions in connection with blasting operations.- (1)Blasting shall not be done except in a

blasting enclosure and no work other than blasting and any work immediately incidental thereto

and clearing and repairing of the enclosure including the plant and appliances situated therein,

shall be kept closed and air tight while blasting is being done therein.

(2) 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) There shall be provided and maintained for and 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

performed in blasting enclosure .every door, aperture and joint of blasting enclosure

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 chambers,

to blasting enclosures constructed or installed before the coming into force of this

schedule, if the Chief Inspector cum facilitator is of opinion that it is not reasonably

practicable to provide such separating apparatus.

(4) 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 by

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) The ventilating plant provided for the purpose of sub-paragraph (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 190 of a 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 and shall be available for inspection by inspector cum facilitator or

any workman employed in 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 any delay.

5. Provision of protective 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, protective helmets

of a type approved by a certificate of the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator; and every such

person shall wear the helmet provided for this use whilst he is in the chamber and shall not

remove it until he is outside the chamber.

(2) Each protective helmet shall carry a distinguishing mark indicating the person by whom 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 than170 litres per minute.

(4) Suitable gauntlets and overalls 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 it 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 paragraph 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 clothing 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

weekday in which they are used. Where dust arising from the cleaning of such protective

clothing or devices is 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.

10. Medical facilities and records of examinations and tests- (1) The occupier of every factory to

which the Schedule applies, shall –

(a) employ a Factory medical officer for medical surveillance of the workers employed

therein where total no of employee exceed 50; and

(b) Provide to the said medical practitioner all the necessary facilities for the purpose

referred to in clause

(2) The record of medical examinations and appropriate tests carried out by the said medical

practitioner shall be maintained in a Health register in Form V, which shall be kept

readily available for inspection by the Inspector-cum-Facilitator.

11. Medical examination by the factory medical officer (1) Every worker employed in any of the

processes to which this schedule shall be examined by a factory medical officer within 15 days

of his first employment. Such examination shall include pulmonary function tests and chest X-

rays. No worker shall be allowed to work after 15 days of his first employment in the factory

unless certified fit for such employment by the factory medical officer and record shall be kept

on certificate of fitness Form XXXIII.

(2) Every worker employed in the said processes shall be re-examined by a factory medical

officer at least once in every 12 calendar months and such re-examination shall,

wherever the factory medical officer considers appropriate, include pulmonary function

test and chest X- ray once in every three years.

(3) The record of re-examinations carried out shall be entered in the health register in Form

V and shall be readily available for inspection to the Inspector-cum-Facilitator.

(4) If at any time the Factory Medical Officer or Medical Officer 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 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 factory medical officer, in which case the person

affected shall be suitably rehabilitated.

(5) No person who has been found unfit to work as said in sub-paragraph (4) shall be re-

employed or permitted to work in the said processes unless the Medical Officer, after

further examination, again certifies him fit for employment in those processes.

12. Restrictions in employment of young persons : (1) No person under 18 years of age shall be

employed in blasting or assisting at blasting or in any blasting chamber or in the cleaning of

any blasting apparatus or any blasting enclosure or any apparatus or ventilating plant

connected therewith or be employed on maintenance or repair work at such apparatus,

enclosure or plant.

(2) No person under 18 years of age shall be employed to work regularly within twenty feet

of any blasting enclosure unless the enclosure is in a room and he is outside that room

where he is effectively separated from any dust coming from the enclosure.

13. Power to exempt or relax.- (1) If the Chief Inspector –cum- facilitator is satisfied that in any

factory or any class of factory, the use of sand or other substance containing free silica as an

abrasive in blasting is necessary for a particular manufacture or process (other than the

process incidental or supplemental to making of metal castings) and that 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 relaxed without endangering the health of the persons employed or that application of any

such requirements is for any reason impracticable or inappropriate, he may, 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-paragraph (1), a copy of the order shall

be displayed at a notice board at a prominent place at the main entrance or entrances to

the factory and also at the place where the blasting is carried on.