Schedule XIV

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 containing free silica or any 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 silica.

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-131

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 above.

4. Maintenance of floors-

(1) All floors or places where fine dust ls 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.

(2) 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 to pregnant and Adolescent - No adolescent 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 examination by Medical officer -

(1) 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 shall

include tests for lead in urine and blood. ALA in urine, hemoglobin content, stippling of cells

and steadiness test. No worker shall be allowed to work after15 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 twelve months. Such re-examination shall, wherever the Medical officer

considers appropriate, include all the tests as specified in sub paragraph{1) except chest X-ray

which will be once in 3 years.

(3) 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.

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

inspection by the Inspector-cum-Facilitator.

[SJ 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.

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

7. Exemptions - lf in respect of any factory, the Chief lnspector-cum-Facllitator 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-cum-Facilitator 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.