S.I. No. 145/1974:

FACTORIES (GUT AND TRIPE PREPARATION) REGULATIONS, 1974.

FACTORIES (GUT AND TRIPE PREPARATION) REGULATIONS, 1974.

I, MICHAEL O'LEARY, Minister for Labour in exercise of the powers conferred on me by sections 6 , 8 , 53 , 54 and 57 of the Factories Act, 1955 (No. 10 of 1955), and the Labour (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order, 1966 ( S.I. No. 164 of 1966 ), after consultation with the Minister for Health and after due compliance with the provisions of the Third Schedule to the Act hereby make the following special regulations:

1. (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Factories (Gut and Tripe Preparation) Regulations, 1974.

(2) These Regulations shall come into operation on the 1st day of June, 1974.

2. In these Regulations--

"the Act" means the Factories Act, 1955 (No. 10 of 1955);

" the Minister" means the Minister for Labour.

3. The Order dated 28th July, 1920 (S. R. & O., No. 1437 of 1920), shall, in so far as it applies in regard to factories where the following processes are carried on, namely,

( a ) gut scraping and gut washing, and processes incidental thereto, and

( b ) the preparing and dressing of tripe,

cease to have effect.

4. These Regulations shall apply to all factories where the processes of gut cleaning and tripe preparing, or any process incidental thereto, is carried on.

5. The occupier of a factory to which these Regulations apply shall provide and maintain in good condition and in a clean state suitable overalls for the use of all persons therein employed in a process mentioned in Regulation 4 of these Regulations and in case persons are so employed in wet processes there shall in addition be so provided, for the use of those persons, waterproof aprons and waterproof foot and leg wear.

6. (1) As regards a factory to which these Regulations apply, washing facilities to be provided in accordance with section 53 of the Act for the use of persons employed in the factory shall be washing facilities which are adequate and suitable for the use of all persons so employed. The said facilities shall be kept in a clean and orderly condition, placed in the charge of a responsible person and be under cover.

(2) In case the facilities referred to in paragraph (1) of this regulation are provided for the use of persons employed in a process described in Regulation 4 of these Regulations, the facilities shall be immediately accessible, or where this is not reasonably practicable, conveniently accessible from the place in the factory where the process is carried on. The said facilities shall include clean running hot and cold or warm water, together with soap and clean towels or some other suitable means of drying, and either--

( a ) a trough with a smooth impervious surface of such length (or, in the case of a circular or oval trough, of such circumference) as to allow six hundred millimetres of length for every five persons making use thereof and fitted with suitable jets or sprays serving each six hundred millimetres of length or circumference (as the case may be) and with a waste pipe without a plug, or

( b ) for every five such persons at least one basin with a smooth impervious surface of suitable size fitted with suitable jets or sprays and with a waste pipe.

(3) Where the number of persons employed both in a factory to which these Regulations apply and in a process mentioned in Regulation 4 of these Regulations is not a multiple of five, for the purposes of this regulation the number of persons so employed shall be regarded as being the next higher number which is a multiple of five.

7. (1) There shall be provided and maintained for the use of all persons employed in a process mentioned in Regulation 4 of these Regulations by the occupier of a factory to which these Regulations apply--

( a ) suitable accommodation for clothing put off during working hours,

( b ) suitable and separate accommodation for protective clothing provided pursuant to these Regulations, and

( c ) adequate arrangements for drying such protective and other clothing.

(2) Accommodation provided in pursuance of this regulation shall be kept clean and be placed under the charge of a responsible person.

8. (1) The occupier of a factory to which these Regulations apply shall provide and maintain a suitable mess-room for the use of all persons employed in the factory in a process mentioned in Regulation 4 of these Regulations who remain on the factory premises during meal intervals.

(2) A mess-room provided in pursuance of this regulation shall be--

( a ) separate from any workroom and from the accommodation provided pursuant to Regulation 7 of these Regulations,

( b ) furnished with sufficient tables and chairs or benches with back rests,

( c ) provided with adequate means for warming food and boiling water,

( d ) kept clean and sufficiently warm, and

( e ) placed under the charge of a responsible person.

9. The following requisites shall be provided and maintained in the first-aid boxes to be provided and maintained pursuant to section 56 of the Act, namely--

( a ) a sufficient supply of sterilized waterproof plastic wound dressings of a grade or quality not lower than the standards specified in the British Pharmaceutical Codex including any supplement thereto, being a supplement current at the date of commencement of these Regulations, or approved by the Minister for the purposes of these Regulations. Each dressing shall be put up in an individual sealed pack marked clearly to indicate content, and

( b ) a sufficient supply of waterproof plastic self-adhesive plaster of a grade or quality not lower than the standards specified in the British Pharmaceutical Codex including any supplement thereto, being a supplement current at the date of commencement of these Regulations, or approved by the Minister for the purposes of these Regulations.

The requirements of this regulation are in addition to, and not in substitution for, the requirements of the First-Aid in Factories Regulations, 1956 ( S.I. No. 166 of 1956 ).

10. (1) A responsible person, trained in first aid treatment, shall be placed in charge of each first aid box provided pursuant to the Act and to these Regulations. For the purpose of this regulation, a person shall not be regarded as being trained in first aid treatment unless--

( a ) he is a nurse registered by an Bord Altranais or by a corresponding body, or

( b ) he is the holder of a certificate in first aid issued within the immediately preceding period of three years by, or is otherwise recognised as being qualified in first aid treatment by, a training organisation, or

( c ) he has held the grade of two star private or upwards in the Army Medical Corps.

(2) In this regulation "training organisation" means the Irish Red Cross Society, the St. John Ambulance Brigade of Ireland, the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, the Consultative Council on Ambulance Services, the Civil Defence Authority or any other body approved for the purposes of this regulation by the Minister.

GIVEN under my Official Seal, this 28th day of May, 1974.

MICHAEL O'LEARY,

Minister for Labour.

EXPLANATORY NOTE.

These regulations specify the type of protective clothing which must be supplied for persons employed in gut cleaning and tripe preparation. They prescribe standards for washrooms, messrooms and cloakrooms and stipulate first-aid requisites which must be provided for such employees.