Schedule XVI

Manipulation of stone, or any other material containing free silica

1. Application.-

(a) This schedule shall apply to all factories or parts of factories in which the below

mentioned manufacturing activity containing free silica is carried on.

(b) The following manufacturing process shall be considered as manipulation of stone or

other material containing free Silica:-

1.Stone Crushers

2.Gem and Jewellery

3.Slate Pencil Making

4.Agate Industry

5.Cement Industry

6.Pottery

7.Glass Manufacturing

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; and

(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. Preventive Control Measures.- No manipulation shall be carried out in a factory or part

of a factory unless the following preventive control measures are adopted, namely:-

(i) Engineering Control Measures

(1) Wet Methods:

(a) Airborne Silica Dust should be minimized or suppressed by applying

water to the process or clean up;

(b) Water should be provided to drilling or sawing of concrete or masonry;

(2) Ventilation:

(a) An effective Local exhaust system should be provided and maintained to

control/ remove silica dust from industrial processes.

(b) Dilution/ventilation may be used to reduce free silica dust concentration

to below the permissible limits in large areas.

(c) Dust collectors /HEPA filter should be set up so that dust shall be

removed from the source and all transfer points to prevent contaminating

work areas.

(d) Ventilation systems should be kept in good working conditions.

(3) Isolation:

(a) Containment methods should be used while carrying out sand blasting.

(b) Cabins of vehicles or machinery cutting & drilling that might contain

free silica should be enclosed and sealed.

(4) Dust Control:

(a) Vacuum System with High Efficiency Particle Air (HEPA) filter shall

be used to remove dust from work areas and at all transfer points.

(b) The belt conveyors transferring crushed material shall be totally

enclosed throughout its length:

Provided that such control 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 limit of Exposure specified in the rules.

(ii) Medical Control Measures.

(1) The occupier of every factory in which a worker employed in the processes

specified in clause 1, shall ensure that every worker employed be examined

by a Medical Inspector-cum-Facilitator of Factories/ Medical Officer within

15 days of his first employment. Such medical examination shall include

pulmonary function test and chest X-ray –Posterior Anterior (PA) view to be

compared with standard ILO Radiographs or 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.

(2) Every worker employed in the 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-clause (1) except chest X-ray which shall be read by a

radiologist specialised / trained in the field of reading ILO Radiographs on

Pneumoconiosis and the chest x-ray which shall be carried out at least once in

3 years.

(3) Every worker employed in any of the aforesaid processes on the date on

which the schedule comes into force shall be radiologically examined by the

qualified Radiologist at the cost of the occupier using a standard size x-ray

plates and the power of the x-ray machine shall be more than 300

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milliampere (mA). The report of such x-ray shall be submitted to the Medical

Inspector-cum-Facilitator / Medical Officer/ Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator

within three months of the said date.

(4) If at any time the Medical Inspector-cum-Facilitator / 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.

(5) No person who has been found unfit to work as said in sub-clause (4) 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.

(6) If a worker already in employment and declared unfit by the Medical

Inspector-cum-Facilitator / Medical Officer shall not be allowed to work on

any of the processes specified in clause sub-clause (1), unless he has been

examined again along with standard size chest x-ray plate from a qualified

Radiologist, at the cost of the occupier and has been certified to be fit to work

on the said processes again.

(7) For the purpose of medical supervision by the Factory Medical Practitioner/

Medical Officer so appointed by the occupier shall be provided for his

exclusive use a room in the factory premises which shall be properly cleaned,

adequately lighted ventilated and furnished with a screen, a table with office

stationary, chairs and other facilities and other instruments including x-ray

arrangements for such examinations and such other equipment as may be

prescribed by the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator from time to time. The

medical practitioner so appointed shall perform the following duties:-

(a) maintain health register;

(b) undertake medical supervision of persons employed in the factory;

(c) look after health, education and rehabilitation of sick, injured or affected

workers;

(d) carry out inspection of work rooms where dangerous operations are

carried out and advise the management of the measures to be adopted

for the protection of health of the workers employed therein.

(8) The Health Records of the workers exposed to silicosis, shall be kept up to a

minimum period of 40 years from the beginning of the employment or 15

years after retirement or cessation of the employment, whichever is later and

shall be accessible to workers concerned or their representatives.

(9) The record of Medical Examinations and appropriate tests carried out by the

said medical practitioner, a certificate of fitness and health shall be

maintained in a separate register approved by the Chief Inspector-cum-

Facilitator , which shall be kept readily available for inspection by the

Inspector-cum-Facilitator and produced on demand.

(iii) Administrative Control Measures.

(1) Workplace/ Environment Monitoring: The occupier to ensure workplace /

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) Workplace/ Environment Monitoring shall be repeated quarterly.

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

public.

(2) 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.

(3) House Keeping: Maintenance of floors-

(a) 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 once at least during each shift.

(b) For this purpose, dry sweeping or compressed air shall be used for clean-

up of dust or wet methods or vacuum system with a HEPA filter shall be

used.

(c) Dust on overhead ledges and equipment should be removed before it

becomes air borne due to vibration, traffic and random air current.

(4) Change room and washing facilities-

(a) Washing and bathing facilities shall be conveniently located at a place

easily accessible to the workers.

(b) Cloak room with individual lockers shall be provided for employees to

store uncontaminated clothing.

(c) Workers shall take bath and change the work clothes before they leave the

work site.

(d) Work clothes shall not be cleaned by blowing or shaking.

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(e) Eating/lunch areas shall be located away from exposed areas.

(5) Display of Notices:

(a) Warning signs / Posters shall be displayed conspicuously in a prominent

place.

(b) The warning signs/poster shall contain the Hazards, precautions.

(c) The display of notice shall be in the local language and also in the

language understood by the majority of the workers.

(6) Personal Protective Equipment

The occupier of every factory to which this schedule apply shall provide the

following PPEs as per relevant National Standards or International Standards and

as applicable to a given workplace.

(a) Dust respirator.

(b) HEPA filter respirator or fume respirator.

(c) HEPA filter respirator with full face piece.

(d) Self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA)

(e) Supplied air respirator with a full face piece, helmet or hood.

(f) SCBA with full face piece.

(g) Powered air purifying respirator with a HEPA filter.

4. Exemptions.- If in respect of any factory, the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator 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.