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

1. Definitions.- For the purposes of this Schedule,-

(i) "Blasting" means cleaning, smoothing, roughening, or removing of any part of the

surface of any article by the use as an abrasive of a jet of sand, metal shot, or grit

or other material, propelled by a blast of compressed air or steam;

(ii) "Blast enclosure" means a chamber, barrel, cabinet or any other enclosure

designed for the performance of blasting therein;

(iii) "Blasting chamber" means a blasting enclosure in which any person may enter at

any time in connection with any work or other-wise; and

(iv) "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 smoothing 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 in to any blasting apparatus and shall not be used for blasting.

3. Precautions in connection with Blasting Operations.-

(1) Blasting to be done in blasting enclosure.- 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 performed in a blasting enclosure. Every door, aperture and joint of blasting

enclosure shall be kept closed and air-tight while blasting is being done therein.

(2) Maintenance of blasting enclosure.- Blasting enclosure shall always to be maintained in

good condition and effective measures shall be taken to prevent dust escaping from such

enclosures, and from apparatus connected therewith, into the air of any room.

(3) Provisions 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.

(4) Provision of ventilating plant.- (a) 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 a manner that it shall not escape

into the air of any room; and

(b) 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 clause

(4) shall be kept in continuous operation whenever the blasting enclosure is in use whether or

not blasting is a actually taking place therein and in the case of blasting chamber, it shall be

in operation even when any person is inside the chamber for the purpose of cleaning or any

repair work.

4. Inspection and Examination.- (1) Every blasting enclosure shall be specially inspected by

a technical person, employed in the factory, at least once every week in which it is used for

blasting. Every blasting enclosure, the apparatus connected therewith and the ventilating

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plant, shall be thoroughly examined and in the case of a ventilating plant tested by a

competent person at least once in six months.

(2) Particulars of the result of every such inspection, examination and test shall forthwith be

entered in a register which shall be kept in a register 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 available delay.

5. Provisions 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 any work connected therewith or in cleaning such a chamber, protective helmets

of National or International Standard and every such person shall wear the helmet provided

for his 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 or not less than 0.17 cubic metres 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 of

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.

(2) In connection with any cleaning operation referred to in clause (5), and with the removal

of dust from filtering or setting 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. Medical examination.- Every worker employed in the processes referred to in clause 1

shall be examined within 15 days of this employment. Such examination shall include tests

for lead in blood and urine, 'ALA' in urine, haemoglobin content, stippling of cells and

steadiness test.

8. Maintenance of vacuum cleaning plant.- Vacuum cleaning plant used for the purpose of

this Schedule shall be properly maintained.

9. Power to exempt or relax.- If the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator is satisfied that if 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

suspended either temporarily or permanently, or can be relaxed without endangering the

health of the person employed or that application of any of such requirements is for any

reason impracticable or inappropriate, he may, with the previous sanction of the State

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.