Schedule B XIII

Manipulation of stone or any other material containing free silica

1. Application.-This schedule shall apply to all factories or parts of factories in

which manipulation of stone or any other material containing free silica is

carried on.

2. Definitions.-For the purpose of this Schedule,-

a. "manipulation" means crushing, breaking, chipping, dressing, grinding,

sieving, mixing, grading or handling of stone or any other material

containingfree silica orany other operation involving such stone or

material;

b. "Stone or any other material containing free silica" means a stone or

any other solid material containing not less than 5% by weight of free

3. Precautions in manipulation.—No manipulation shall be carried out in a

factory or part of a factory unless one or more of the following measures,

namely:

a. damping the stone or other material being processed;

b. providing water spray;

c. enclosing the process ;

d. isolating the process ; and

e. providing localised exhaust ventilation are adopted so as to effectively

control the dust in any place in the factory where any person is

employed, at a level equal to or below the maximum permissible level

for silica dust as laid down in Table 2 appended to Rule 64 :

Provided that such measures as above said are not necessary if the process or

operation itself is such that the level of dust created and prevailing does not exceed

the permissible level referred to.

4. Maintenance of floors.—

I. All floors or places where fine dust is likely to settle on and whereon any

person has to work or pass shall be of impervious material and maintained in

such condition that they can be thoroughly cleaned by a moist method or any

other method which would prevent dust being airborne in the process of

cleaning.

The surface of every floor of every work room or place where any work is

carried on or where any person has to pass during the course of his work,

shall be cleansed of dust once at least during each shift after being sprayed

with water or by any other suitable method so as to prevent dust being

airborne in the process of cleaning.

5. Prohibition relating young persons.—No young person shall be employed

or permitted to work in any of the operations involving manipulation or at any

place where such operations are carried out.

6. Medical Facilities and records of examinations and tests.-

I. The occupier of every factory to which the schedule applies, shall--

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 to the said medical practitioner all the necessary facilities for

the purpose referred to in clause (I).

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

said medical practitioner shall be maintained in separate register approved by

the Chief Inspector of Factories, which shall be kept readily available for

inspection by the Inspector.

7. Medical examination by Medical Officer.-

Every worker employed in the processes specified in paragraph 1, shall be

examined by a Medical Officer within 15 days of his first employment. Such

medical examination shallincludepulmonary function test and chest X-Ray-

Posterior Anterior (PA) view to be compared with standard ILO Radiographs

on Pneumoconiosis. 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 twelve months. Such re-examination

shall, wherever the Medical Officer considers appropriate, include all the tests

as specified in sub-paragraph (I) except chest X-ray which

will be carried out at least once in 3 years, which shall be read by a radiologist

specialized in the field of reading ILO Radiographs on Pneumoconiosis.

III. 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.

V. If at any time the Medical Officer is of the opinion that a worker is no longer

fit for employment in the said process 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 these 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 fully is 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)

above 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.

8. Work place/Environment Monitoring.—The occupier to ensure work

place/environment monitoring to be performed to determine magnitude of

exposure/concentration to evaluate engineering controls, selecting respiratory

protection, work practices and the need for medical surveillance

a. Exposure/concentration measurements should be made in the

employee's actual breathing zone ;

b. Total sampling time shall be at least 7 hours ;

c. Work place/Environment Monitoring shall be repeated quarterly :

d. The report of dust sampling by occupier shall be made available to the

public

9. Training/Awareness.—Workers shall be trained in the following :=

a. Health effects of free silica dust exposure ;

b. Operations and material that produce free silica dust hazards ;

c. Engineering controls and work practice controls that reduce dust

concentration ;

d. The importance of good housekeeping and cleanliness ;

e. Proper use of personal protective equipment such as respirators etc. ;

f. Personal hygiene practices to reduce exposure:

10.Exemptions.—If in respect of any factory, the Chief Inspector is satisfied

that owing to the exceptional circumstances or in frequency of the processes

or for any other reason, all or any of the provisions of this schedule is not

necessary for protection of the workers in the factory, the Chief Inspector may

by a certificate in writing, which he may in his discretion revoke at any time,

exempt such factory from all or any of such provisions subject to such

conditions, if any, as he may specify therein.