Schedule X

CLEANING OR SMOOTHING OR 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 -

(a)‘blasting’ means cleaning, smoothing, roughening, or removing of any part of the

surface of any article by the use of an abrasive jet of sand, metal shot, or graft or other

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

(b)‘blasting enclosure’ means a chamber, barrel, cabinet or any other enclosure designed

for the performance of blasting therein;

(c)‘blasting chamber’ means a blasting enclosure in which any person may enter at any

time in connection with any work or otherwise; and

(d)‘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.

(e) First Employment" means first employment in any of the processes to which this

schedule apply and shall also include re-employment in such Process following any

cessation of employment for a continuous period exceeding three calendar months, and

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 further that no pregnant women or young person shall be employed or permitted to work

at any operation of sand blasting.

Provided that women workers may be employed with their consent to work subject to the

following conditions :-

(1) International Safety standards shall be adopted by the occupier for providing Occupational

Safety and Health (OSH).

(2) The occupier shall, as far as possible, modernise the above processes/places from time to time

and will use modern equipments.

(3) Women workers who are feeding mothers shall be exempted from the Employment.

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 as 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) 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) There shall be provided and maintained 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) 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) The ventilating plant provided for the purpose of sub-paragraph (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 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 and shall be available for inspection by inspector cum facilitator or 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 any 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 Chief 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 than170 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 clothing 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. Medical facilities and records of examinations and tests- (1) The occupier of every factory to

which the Schedule applies, shall –

(a) employ a Factory medical officer for medical surveillance of the workers employed

therein where total no of employee exceed 50; and

(b) Provide to the said Factory medical officer all the necessary facilities for the purpose

referred to in clause (a).

(2) The record of medical examinations and appropriate tests carried out by the said medical

practitioner shall be maintained in a Health register in Form-7, which shall be kept readily available for

inspection by the Inspector-cum-Facilitator.

11. Medical examination by the factory medical officer (1) Every worker employed in any of the

processes to which this schedule shall be examined by a factory 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 factory medical officer and record shall be kept on certificate of fitness Form-8.

(2) Every worker employed in the said processes shall be re-examined by a factory medical officer

at least once in every 12 calendar months and such re-examination shall,wherever the factory medical

officer considers appropriate, include pulmonary function test and chest X-

ray once in every three years.

(3) The record of re-examinations carried out shall be entered in the Health Register in Form-7 and

shall be readily available for inspection to the Inspector-cum-Facilitator.

(4) If at any time the Factory 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 factory

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-paragraph (4) shall be re-employed

or permitted to work in the said processes unless the Factory Medical Officer, after further examination,

again certifies him fit for employment in those processes.

12. Restrictions in employment of young persons- (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.

13. 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 suspended either temporarily or permanently, or 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 State Government, by an order in

writing exempt the said factory or class of factories 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.