General Safety Regulations

Work in confined spaces

 

5. (1) An employer or a user of machinery shall take steps to ensure that a confined space is entered by an employee or other person only after the air therein has been tested and evaluated by a person who is competent to pronounce on the safety thereof, and who has certified in writing that the confined space is safe and will remain safe while any person is in the confined space, taking into account the nature and duration of the work to be performed therein.

(2) Where the provisions of subregulation (1) cannot be complied with the employer or user of machinery, as the case may be, shall take steps to ensure that any confined space in which there exists or is likely to exist a hazardous gas, vapour, dust or fumes, or which has or is likely to have, an oxygen content of less than 20 per cent by volume, is entered by an employee or other person only when--

(a) subject to the provisions of subregulation (3), the confined space is purged and ventilated to provide a safe atmosphere therein and measures necessary to maintain a safe atmosphere therein have been taken; and

(b) the confined space has been isolated from all pipes, ducts and other communicating openings by means of effective blanking other than the shutting or locking of a valve or a cock, or, if this is not practicable, only when all valves and cocks which are a potential source of danger have been locked and securely fastened by means of chains and padlocks.

(3) Where the provisions of subregulation (2)(a) cannot be complied with, the employer or user of machinery shall take steps to ensure that the confined space in question is entered only when the employee or person entering is using breathing apparatus of a type approved by the chief inspector and, further, that--

(a) the provisions of subregulation (2) (b) are complied with;

(b) any employee or person entering the confined space is using a safety harness or other similar equipment, to which a rope is securely attached which reaches beyond the access to the confined space, and the free end of which is attended to by a person referred to in paragraph (c);

(c) at least one other person trained in resuscitation is and remains in attendance immediately outside the entrance of the confined space in order to assist or remove any or persons from the confined space, if necessary; and

(d) effective apparatus for breathing and resuscitation of a type approved by the chief inspector is available immediately out side the confined space.

(4) An employer or user of machinery shall take steps to ensure that all persons vacate a confined space on completion of any work therein.

(5) Where the hazardous gas, vapour, dust or fumes contemplated in subregulation (2) are of an explosive or flammable nature, an employer or user of machinery shall further take steps to ensure that such a confined space is entered only if --

(a) the concentration of the gas, vapour, dust or fumes does not exceed 25 per cent of the lower explosive limit of the gas, vapour, dust or fumes concerned where the work to be performed is of such a nature that it does not create a source of ignition; or

(b) such concentration does not exceed 10 per cent of the lower explosive limit of the gas, vapour, dust or fumes where other work is performed.

(6) The provisions of this regulation shall mutatis mutandis also apply, in so far as they can be so applied, to any work which is performed in any place or space on the outside of and bordering on or in the immediate vicinity of, any confined space, and in which place or space, owing to its proximity to the confined space, any hazardous article, oxygen-deficient atmosphere or dangerous concentration of gas, vapour, dust or fumes may occur or be present.

Work in elevated positions

 

6. No employer shall require or permit any person to work in an elevated position, and no person shall work in an elevated position, unless such work is performed safely from a ladder or scaffolding, or from a position where such person has been made as safe as if he were working from scaffolding.

Working in danger of engulfment

 

7. No employer shall require or permit any person to, and no person shall, enter any place from or into which solid or particulate material is being discharged where a danger exists of a person being engulfed by such solid or particulate material, unless --

(a) such a person is provided with and properly uses a safety belt and rope;

(b) at least one other person who has been properly instructed, is and remains in attendance outside such place to keep the persons therein under continuous observation in order to render assistance in case of emergency; and

(c) the precautions prescribed by regulation 5 of these regulations are taken if dangerous gas, fumes, dust or vapour may be present in such a place.

Stacking of articles

 

8. (1) No employer shall require or permit the building of stacks which consist of successive tiers, one on top of another, unless --

(a) the stacking operation is executed by or under the personal supervision of a person with specific knowledge and experience of this type of work;

(b) the base is level and capable of sustaining the weight exerted on it by the stack;

(c) the articles in the lower tiers are capable of sustaining the weight exerted on them by the articles stacked above them;

(d) all the articles which make up any single tier are consistently of the same size, shape and mass;

(e) pallets and containers are in good condition; and

(f) any support structure used for the stacking of articles is structurally sound and can support the articles to be stacked on it.

(2) An employer shall not permit --

(a) articles to be removed from a stack except from the topmost tier or part of that tier; and

(b) anybody to climb onto or from a stack, except if the stack is stable and the climbing is done with the aid of a ladder or other safe facility or means.

(3) An employer shall take steps to ensure that --

(a) persons engaged in stacking operations do not come within reach of machinery which may endanger their safety;

(b) stacks that are in danger of collapsing are dismantled immediately in a safe manner; and

(c) the stability of stacks is not endangered by vehicles or other machinery or persons moving past them.

(4) Unless a stack is otherwise supported an employer shall take steps to ensure that tiers of stacked material consisting of sacks, cases, cartons, tins or similar containers --

(a) are secured by laying up articles in a header and stretcher fashion and that corners are securely bonded; and

(b) are stepped back half the depth of a single container at least every fifth tier or that, alternatively, successive tiers are stepped back by a lesser amount: Provided that at least the same average angle of inclination to the vertical is achieved: Provided further that where the containers are of a regular shape and their nature and size are such that the stack will be stable, they may be stacked with the sides of the stack vertical if the total height of the stack does not exceed three times the smaller dimension of the underlying base of the stack.

(5) Notwithstanding the provisions of subregulation (4), free-standing stacks that are built with the aid of machinery may, with the approval of an inspector, be built to a height and in a manner permitted by the nature of the containers being stacked: Provided that --

(a) the stacks are stable and do not overhang; and

(b) the operator of the stacking machinery is rendered safe as regards falling articles.