Schedule B VIII

Cleaning or 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

(Blasting Regulations)

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 of a jet of sand, metal shot, or grit or other material,

propelled by a blast of compressed air or steam;

D. "basi en ehnsuse de meens fochame efe armean ce bint ossting

therein;

c. "blasting chamber" means a blasting enclosure in which any

personmayenter 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.

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.-

a. 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;

b. Maintenance of blasting enclosure.—Blasting enclosure shall

always be maintained in good condition and effective measures

shall be taken to prevent dustescaping from such enclosure, and from apparatus

connected therewith, into the air of any room;

c. Provision

of separating apparatus.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 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.

d. 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 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 completelyseparated from the general air of that

room in an enclosure ventilated to the open air.

e. Operation of ventilating plant.—The ventilating plant provided for the

purpose of sub-paragraph (d) 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 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.-

I. 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.

Il. 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-cum- Facilitator and shall be available for inspection by

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 avoidable

delay.

5. Provision of protective helmets, gauntlets and overalls.-

I. 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.

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.

Ш.

Each protective helmet when in use shall be supplied with clean and not

unreasonably cold air at a rate of not less 170 litres per minute.

IV. 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 =

I. 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 anyblastingapparatus 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.

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, guantlets,

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 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.

1.

Restrictions in employment of young persons.-

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.

II.

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 heis effectively separated from any dust coming

from the enclosure.

11.

Power to exempt or relax.-

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 Ban 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 J&K Government, by an order in

writing exempt the said factory or class of factory 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.

II.

Where an exemption has been granted under sub-paragraph (I), 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.

12.

Medical facilities and records of examinations and tests.-

I. The occupier of every factory to which the Schedule applies, shalt-

a.employ a qualified medical practitioner for medical surveillance of the

workers employed therein whose employment shall be subject to the

approval of the Chief Inspector of Factories; and

b. Provide tothe said medical practitioner all the necessary facilities for

the purpose referred to in clause (a).

II. The record of medical examinations and appropriate tests carried out by the

said 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.

13.

Medical examination by the Medical Officer.-

I. Every worker employed in any of the processes to which this schedule

shall be examined by a 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 Medical Officer.

Every worker employed in the said processes shall be re-examined by a

Medical Officer at least once in every 12 calendar months and such re-

examination shall, wherever the Medical Officer considers appropriate,

include pulmonary function test and chest X-ray once in every three

years.

The Medical Officer after examining a worker shall issue a Certificate of

Fitness in Form XXIII. 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 out under sub-paragraphs (I) and (II),

including the nature and the results of the tests, shall also be entered

by the Medical Officer in a health register in Form XXIV.

IV. The Certificate of Fitness and the health register shall be kept readily

available for inspection by the Inspector- cum-Facilitator.

V. If at any time the 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 Medical Officer, in which case

the person affected shall be suitably rehabilitated.

VI.

No person who has been found unfit to work as said in sub-paragraph

(V) 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.