Schedule 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 surtace

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;

(b) "blasting enclosure" means a chamber, barrel, cabinet or any other

(c) enclosure designed for the peliormance of blasting therein;

(d) "blasting chamber" means a blasting enclosure in which any person may

(e) enter at any time in connection with any work or otherwise; and

(f) "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 adolescent 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) 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 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.

(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 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) Operation of ventilating plant: The ventilating plant provided for the purpose of

subparagraph (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 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 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 - (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 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 170 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 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. Restrictions in employment of Adolescent - (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.

11. 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 Administration of Lakshadweep, 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.

(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.

12. Medical examination by the Medical officer - (1) 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.

(2) 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.

(4) The Medical officer after examining a worker shall issue a Certificate of Fitness in

Form-40. 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 occupier of the factory. The

record of each examination carried out under sub-paragraphs (1) and (2), including the nature

and the results of the tests, shall also be entered by the Medical officer in a health register in

Form-41 electronically or otherwise.

(5) The Certificate of Fitness and the health register shall be kept readily available for

inspection by the Inspector-cum-Facilitator.

(6) 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.

(7) No person who has been found unfit to work as said in sub-paragraph (5) 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.