Rule 8. Prevention of bodily injuries under clause (a) sub-section (1) of section 6 and clause (za) sub-section (2) of section 135

(1) No building, wall, chimney, bridge, tunnel, road, gallery, stairway, ramp, floor, platform, staging, or other structure, whether of a permanent or temporary character, shall be constructed, situated or maintained in any establishment in such a manner as to cause risk of bodily injury.

(2) No machinery, plant or equipment shall be constructed, situated, operated or maintained in any establishment in such a manner as to cause risk of bodily injury.

(3) No process or work shall be carried in any establishment in such a manner as to cause risk of bodily injury.

(4) No materials or equipment shall be stacked or stored in such a manner as to cause risk of bodily injury.

(5) (a) No worker shall be required or allowed to work for such long hours on a continuously running conveyor line or on any similar contrivance used for assembly of machine parts, components, or for material handling requiring work in a specified manner, where continuous manual work in limited or repetitive postures, without reasonable intervals for rest, and/or excessive speed of the conveyor belt or line is likely to cause fatigue or to adversely affect the safety or health of the worker;

(b) The employer shall, on the recommendation of a competent person, prepare and obtain approval of the Inspector-cum-Facilitator for a matrix specifying the maximum permissible speed of such machinery or manual work output, and the corresponding permissible duration of work of a worker:

Provided that any such matrix specified or recommended by a recognized international agency relating to occupational safety and health shall be deemed to have been approved for the purposes of this Code.

(c) The approved matrix shall be displayed conspicuously at or near the concerned conveyor line, assembly line, or workplace.

Explanation— For the purposes of this provision, “matrix” means a documented schedule correlating machine speed or manual work output with permissible duration of work, prepared on ergonomic and occupational health principles.

(6) No charge or fee for facilities and conveniences, — Subject to the provisions of section 24(1)(v), no charge or fee shall be realised from any worker or employee in respect of any arrangement or facility required to be provided, including personal protective equipment (PPE), or any equipment or appliance required to be supplied, by the employer or occupier under the provisions of the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020, or the rules made thereunder.