Provision regarding health for workers under Factories Act,1948.

Explain provision regarding health for workers under Factories Act,1948.

  PROVISIONS REGARDING HEALTH (Section 11-20)

The Factories Act 1948 under the heading 'Health' enumerates the various requirements relating to cleanliness, ventilation, overcrowding etc., provided for in Sections 11 to 20. This section is confined to cleanliness.

The section imposes an obligation on the occupier to keep the factory in clean state and elaborate details and prescribes the method in which it is to done. 

The Object of Provisions Regarding Health: 

- to make provisions to maintain a healthy state of cleanliness in a factory to form general directions to keep a factory free from effluences and waste material

- resulting from the manufacturing process carried on in a factory.

- to make adequate arrangements for maintaining adequate ventilation, coding, lighting and temperature in a factory.

- to prevent overcrowding in a factory and make adequate provisions for the supply of drinking water.

- to make necessary provisions for sanitary conveniences to persons employed in a factory.

- To ensure hygienic conditions in a factory

The provisions regarding health of persons employed in a factors U/S 11 to 20 of the Act are as following:

(1) CLEANLINESS (Section 11) 

Section 11 of the Act has made provisions to keep a factory clean and for this purpose has specifically stated the ways to maintain a state of cleanliness in a factory, which are as follows: 

(i) The accumulation of dirt and refuses shall be removed daily form floors, benches, staircases and passages by sweeping or any other method. 

(ii) The floor of every workroom shall be cleaned ONCE in a week.

(iii) Effective means of drainage shall be provided for a floor which is liable to become wet.

(iv) For all inside walls/partitions/ceilings/tops of passages and staircases :

        (a) If they are painted or varnished, should be repainted or revarnished once in 5 years 

        (b) If painted with washable water paint, should be repainted every 3 years and washed atleast once in 6 months.

        (c) In other cases, whitewashing/colour wash should be once in 14 months.

(v) All doors, window frames and shutter should be painted/varnished once in 5 years 

(vi) Dates of the processes done shall be entered in prescribed register.

 - The State Govt. may grant exemption from complying any of the above provisions.

(2) DISPOSAL OF WASTES AND EFFLUENTS (Section 12) 

(i) Effective arrangements shall be made in every factory for the treatment of wastes and effluents due to the manufacturing process carried on. 

(ii) The State Government may make rules prescribing the arrangements to be made

(3) VENTILATION AND TEMPERATURE (Section 13)

Section 13 of the Act states the suitable provisions to be made in every factory for securing and maintaining in every workroom:

(i) adequate ventilation by the circulation of fresh air, and

(ii) such a temperature should prevail as will secure to worker reasonable conditions of comfort and prevent injury to health;

(iii) walls and roofs shall be of such material and so designed that such temperature shall not be exceeded but kept as low as practicable;

(iv) where the nature of the work carried on in the factory involves, excessively high temperatures, adequate measures shall be taken to protect the workers..

(v) The State Government may prescribe a standard of adequate ventilation and reasonable temperature for any factory of.

(vi) The Chief Inspector can order in writing specifying the measures which should be adopted to control high the temperature.

(4) DUST AND FUME (Section 14) 

Section 14 requires that :

(i) If during any manufacturing process, any dust, fume or other impurities are released, (injurious to the health of workers), then effective measures shall be taken to prevent its inhalation and accumulation in any workroom.

(ii) If there is a need to fix an exhaust appliance for removing such dust or fumes, it shall be fixed accordingly. 

(iii) No stationary internal combustion engine shall be operated in any factory unless it has an exhaust conducted into the open air. 

(5) ARTIFICIAL HUMIDIFICATION (Section 15) 

In all the factories in which humidity of the air is artificially increased, the State Government may make rules,-

(a) prescribing standards of humidification;

(b) regulating the methods used for artificially increasing the humidity of the air, 

(c) directing prescribed tests for determining the humidity of the air to be correctly carried out and recorded;

(d) prescribing methods to be adopted for securing equate ventilation and cooling of the air in the workrooms.
    However, the water used for artificial humidification shall be taken from a public supply or from any other source of drinking water or shall be purified before usage.

(6) OVERCROWDING (Section 16) 

This provision is intended to prevent overcrowding in a factory work-room as well as other rooms and lays down the minimum space to be provided for each worker. Two standards have been provided, one for the existing factories at the time of the commencement of the Act, the other for those built thereafter.

-  At least 9.9 cubic meters space for factories existing at the commencement of the Act in 1948.
- At least 4.2 cubic meters space for factories built after commencement of the Act in 1948.

• The Chief Inspector by order in writing may paste in each workroom of a factory a notice specifying the maximum number of workers to be employed. 

The Chief Inspector may by order in writing exempt, any workroom from the provisions of this section.

(7) LIGHTING (Section 17) 

This provision is intended to provide for lighting arrangement in factories and work rooms. It relates to both natural and artificial lights. Provision has also been made for the prevention of glare and shadows, which may hurt the eyes or occasion risk of accidents.

The provisions of section 17 are as follows : 

(i) There should exist sufficient and suitable lighting (both natural or artificial) in every part of the factory.

(ii) In every factory all glazed windows and skylights used for the lighting of the workrooms shall be kept clean on both the inner and outer surfaces,

(iii) In every factory effective provision shall, be made for the prevention of -

        (a) glare, either directly from a source of light or by reflection from a smooth or polished surface;'

        (b) the formation of shadows to such an extent as to cause eye-strain or the risk of accident to any worker.

• The State Government may prescribe, standards of sufficient and suitable lighting for factories or for any manufacturing process.

(8) DRINKING WATER (Section 18) 

(i) In every factory effective arrangements shall be made to provide and maintain at suitable points a sufficient supply of wholesome drinking water.

(ii) All such points shall be marked "drinking water" in a language understood by a majority of the workers employed in the factory

(iii) No such point shall be situated within six metres of any washing place, urinal, latrine, spittoon, open drain carrying sullage or effluent or any other source of contamination (unless a shorter distance is approved in writing by the Chief Inspector).

(iv) In every factory where more than 250 workers are employed, provision shall be made for cool drinking water during hot weather.

(9) LATRINES AND URINALS (Section 19) 

U/S 19(1) In every factory -

(i) sufficient latrine and urinal accommodation of prescribed types shall be provided conveniently situated and accessible to workers at all times while they are at factory; 

(ii) separate enclosed accommodation shall be provided for male and female workers; 

(iii) such accommodation shall be adequately lighted and ventilated; 

(iv) all such accommodation shall be maintained in a clean and sanitary condition at all times;

(v) sweepers shall be employed whose primary duty it would be to keep clean latrines, urinals and washing places.

U/S 19(2) In every factory where more than 250 workers are employed 

(i) all latrine and urinal accommodation shall be of prescribed sanitary types;

(ii) the floors and internal walls, up to a height of 90 cm shall be laid in glazed tiles. 

(iii) The floors, walls, and the sanitary pans of latrines and urinals shall be thoroughly washed and cleaned at least once in every seven days with suitable detergents or disinfectants or with both.

        The State Government may prescribe the number of latrines and urinals to be provided in any factory in proportion to the numbers of male and female workers employed.

(10) SPITTOONS (Sections 20) 

Section 20 of the Act, provides for the supply of spittoons for spitting purposes to maintain hygienic conditions in factories.

(i) In every factory there shall be provided a sufficient number of spittoons in convenient places.

(ii) All spittoons shall be maintained in a clean and hygienic condition. 

(iii) No person shall spit within the premises of a factory except in the spittoons provided for the purpose.

(iv) A notice containing this provision and the penalty for its violation shall be prominently displayed at suitable places in the premises.

(v) Whoever spits in contravention of this section shall be punishable with fine not exceeding five rupees.

• The State Government may make rules prescribing the type and the number of spittoons to be provided and their location in any factory and provide for such further matters relating to their maintenance in a clean and hygienic condition.