Factories Act, 1948

37. Explosive or inflammable dust, gas, etc.

(1) Where in any factory any manufacturing process produces dust, gas, fume or vapor of such character and to such extent as to be likely to explode to ignition, all practicable measures shall be taken to prevent any such explosion by-

(a) effective enclosure of the plant or machinery used in the process;

(b) removal or prevention of the accumulation of such dust, gas, fume or vapor;

(c) exclusion or effective enclosure of all possible sources of ignition.

(2) Where in any factory the plant or machinery used in a process such as is referred to in sub-section (1) is not so constructed as to withstand the probable pressure which such an explosion as aforesaid would produce, all practicable measures shall be taken to restrict the spread and effects of the explosion by the provisions in the plant or machinery of chokes, baffles, vents or other effective appliances.

(3) Where any part of the plant or machinery in a factory contains any explosive or inflammable gas or vapor under pressure greater than atmospheric pressure, that part shall not be opened except in accordance with the following provisions, namely:

(a) before the fastening of any joint of any pipe connected with the part or the fastening of the cover of any opening into the part is loosened, any flow of the gas or vapor into the part of any such pipe shall be effectively stopped by a stop-valve or other means;

(b) before any such fastening as aforesaid is removed, all practicable measures shall be taken to reduce the pressure of the gas or vapor in the part or pipe to atmospheric pressure;

(c) where any such fastening as aforesaid has been loosened or removed effective measures shall be taken to prevent any explosive or inflammable gas or vapor from entering the part of pipe until the fastening has been secured, or, as the case may be, securely replaced:

PROVIDED that the provisions of this sub-section shall not apply in the case of plant or machinery installed in the open air.

(4) No plant, tank or vessel which contains or has contained any explosive or inflammable substance shall be subjected in any factory to any welding, brazing, soldering or cutting operation which involves the application of heat unless adequate measures have first been taken to remove such substance and any fumes arising there from or to render such substance and fumes non-explosive or non-inflammable, and no such substance shall be allowed to enter such plant, tank or vessel after any such operation until the metal has cooled sufficiently to prevent any risk of igniting the substance.

(5) The State Government may by rules exempt, subject to such conditions as may be prescribed any factory or class or description of factories from compliance with all or any of the provisions of this section.

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