FACILITIES AVAILABLE FOR TESTING OF RESPIRATORY PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (RETL)

Most of the chemicals that are used, handled, processed or manufactured in industries are harmful to the workers in varying degrees. These chemicals may be toxic, corrosive or carcinogenic and may cause health hazards through inhalation, ingestion or skin absorption. Technological measures are practiced in many industries to control toxic contaminants in work environment. However, there are situations when the use of respiratory devices becomes vital and essential.

Most of the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) are manufactured in the small scale enterprises. These small scale industries do not possess adequate resources and facilities for testing raw materials and the finished PPE as per the Specifications laid down in relevant Standard prescribed by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). They do not also have the research and developmental facilities. Technical guidance and advice is also not readily available to them for improving the quality of these equipment.

It has been observed from the Hand Book of Labour Statistics (1992), of Labour Bureau, Ministry of Labour, Government of India, Chandigarh/Shimla that every year more number of workers get exposed to the various types of chemicals and contract occupational diseases. Thus, PPE play an important role in safe-guarding the health of the industrial workers from various occupational diseases, provided they meet the requirements of the specified standard of BIS.

The main objectives of Respiratory Equipment Testing Laboratory are :

1. to develop testing facilities to assess the performance and efficiency of the various respiratory PPE as per BIS Specifications.
2. To render Technical advice to the manufacturers on the functional efficiency and the quality improvement and guidance to the user industries on selection, use, care and maintenance of the respiratory PPE.

First Schedule {Section 2 (cb)} of the Factories (Amendment) Act, 1987 provides the list of 29 different industries involving hazardous processes.

Second Schedule (Section 41-F) lists the permissible levels of 117 toxic chemicals causing various occupational diseases by entering into body through the vital respiratory mode. In view of this, it is of foremost importance to use various respiratory PPE as the preventive measures against these toxic chemicals.

Rule 81 of Model Rules under the Factories Act, 1948 (corrected upto 31.3.1987), Government of India, prescribes the use of various PPE.

1. Disposable dust masks

A simple, inexpensive, comfortable and disposable type dust mask was developed by this Laboratory. It was made from low cost man-made fibres by the die-punch moulding technique. Developed masks were subjected to performance tests in accordance with the U.S. Bureau of Mines specifications. Extensive work was carried out on these masks to determine the performance parameters such as filtering efficiency, breathing resistance and mechanical strength. The complete know-how data was transferred to the National Research and Development Corporation (NRDC), New Delhi for its transmission to the industries for its commercial production.

2. Present Testing Facilities :

1. Chlorine
2. Ammonia
3. Sulphur dioxide
4. Hydrogen sulphide and
5. Organic vapour.

Type of PPE BIS Standard and related Tests

Institutional fee is nominal and is basically promotional in nature. The current institutional fee for the service rendered by the Laboratory for testing of various types of respiratory PPE is levied as given below:

                        Respiratory Personal Protective Equipment

...

Non – Respiratory Testing laboratory (NRTL)
Facilities available FOR testing of non – respiratory personal protective equipment (NRPPE)

Adequate protection of body is essential in order to ensure the safety of human life at work in every industry though the nature of protection varies from industry to industry and is dependent not only on the type of operation but also on the kind of hazard associated. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) are always recommend for use in industry to protect the workmen against physical, chemical, and biological agents which possess hazard potentials of causing harmful health effects to the workers. Various engineering control method and technologies are generally applied to minimise the degree and intensity of such occupational hazards ,but in case of certain industrial hazards ,but in case of certain industrial situations ,there is no choice but to recommend the use of PPE . The magnitude of use of problem of using PPE in industries have increased in the recent years due to the growth of modern technologies and effective safety awareness programme.

It has been well recognized that the degree of protection provided by the PPE to the workers greatly depends upon their selection, use, and the extent of their performance in actual operation. The use of Personal Protective Equipment (ppe) by the employees in the factories under different situations, is a statutory provisions made under Sections 32,35 and 36 of the Factories Act, 1948. The Bureau Of Indian Standards (BIS) has brought out many standards on Personal Protective Equipment for protection of eyes, face, ears, feet, legs ,hand, head, etc. in addition to guidelines for selection and use of such equipment. However, the testing facilities available in the few institutes in the country is not sufficient to ensure the quality of products as per the Bureau Of Indian Standards.

Therefore ,the Central Labour Institute , Mumbai has set up to a Non-Respiratory Equipment Testing Laboratory (NRTL) to carry out Performance test for different types of PPE’s as per the standards laid down by the BIS .The laboratory is equipped with all the sophisticated equipment that are needed for testing of PPE. At present the laboratory undertakes testing of samples of PPE and issues performance test reports in regard to the quality of protective appliances.

The various tests that could be undertaken by the laboratory as per the standards of the BIS are given in details.

INSTITUTIONAL FEE

The present charges for the services rendered by the laboratory for testing of different types of Non-Personal Protective Equipment are given below:

            Non- Respiratory Personal Protective Equipment  

* The samples along with institute fee (Demand Draft in favour of Central Labour 
   Institute, Mumbai) should be submitted 15 days in advance for reports.



 Flame Proof Equipment Approval

Flameproof Enclosures Approval

DGFASLI is the approving authority for granting approvals to the flameproof enclosures being used in manufacturing process covered by the Factories Act, 1948, as per IS: 2148-1981. DGFASLI is also granting approvals to other equipment like increase safety, intrinsically safe equipment, subject to the fulfillment of the requirements of the Code of Practice IS 13408 (Part I)-1992.

1. Equipment has to be tested by approved testing authority.
2. Carbon copy of test report of the equipment and attested copy/copies of drawing(s) certified by the testing authority must be submitted for approval
3. Chemical composition analysis of light material used such as LM4, LM6 must be carried out in a Government recognized testing laboratory and a copy of the report shall be submitted along with the proposal. The chemical analysis report shall be of the material used for the prototype.
4. For gas Group II C enclosures in addition to the requirements at 1, 2 & 3 above, the details of the client to whom the equipment is being supplied shall be furnished.
5. The approval for gas Group II A and II B pro-type is valid for a period of five years after which it shall be revalidated.

2. PROCEDURE FOR REVALIDATION OF APPROVAL

1. The party/manufacturer shall submit the proposal for revalidation to DGFASLI at least three months in advance along with application for revalidation of approvals and following documents :–

1. the mailing list of customers, along with their contact numbers, to whom the equipment has been supplied;
2. a certificate on the letter head of the company/firm that such equipment for revalidation has/have not undergone any change in design during the period and that the equipment has/have been manufactured strictly in accordance with the drawing specifications certified by the testing authority and is/are identical with the one tested and certified by the testing authority.
3. a copy of the valid BIS licence duly attested by the company/firm;
4. a copy of approval(s) including permissible variations, issued by DGFASLI, duly attested.

1. For further validation of approval of such equipment after five years (i.e. 10 years from the first approval), further approval shall be issued after re-testing of the said equipment by approved testing authority. The procedure for approval shall be as per instruction given in (A) above.

1. The approval no. and date of DGFASLI approval must be inserted in the nameplate of the equipment.
2. Obtaining licence from BIS, on approval from DGFASLI, is a must.
3. Approval may be amended, reviewed or withdrawn, if considered necessary. Any violation/deviation observed in any manner shall result in revocation of the approval issued.
4. Officials of DGFASLI dealing with subject matter shall visit the unit manufacturing flameproof electrical equipment as necessary. The compliance report on the basis of suggestion/observation made by him/them in his/their report shall be required to be submitted to DGFASLI in the prescribed time limit.

After getting the proposal from the manufacturer, the same is scrutinized and if found in order in all respects, the approval is granted within a period of five weeks. In case of any discrepancies, the same is conveyed to the party within a period of one week.

Material Safety Data Sheet MSDS

Occupier of every factory involving hazardous process is statutorily required under Section 41-B(1) of the Factories Act to disclose in a prescribed manner all the information regarding danger, including health hazards and the measures to overcome such hazards arising from the exposure to or handling of materials or substances in the manufacture, transportation, storage and other processes, to the workers employed in the factory, the Chief Inspector, the local authority within whose jurisdiction the factory is situated and the general public in the vicinity.

Model Rule No.82-C made under Section 41-B read with Section 112 of the Factories Act has specified that the occupier of any factory carrying out hazardous process shall arrange to obtain or develop information in the form of Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) in respect of hazardous substances or material handled in the manufacture, transportation and storage in the factory.

This division provides MSDS on request to industries at a nominal payment, enquires can be made by writing to Director- In charge (MIS)

National Referral Diagnostic Centre (NRDC)

Occupational disease assume a significant dimension in any country and more particularly, in a developing nation like India.  There is a considerable prevalence of common disorders like lead poisoning, silicosis, asbestosis, pesticides poisoning, occupational hearing loss, etc. among the industrial workers.

While the emphasis on the prevention, early diagnosis and management of occupational diseases are well accepted as the proven strategy equally important is facilitating for confirming the cases of occupational diseases as these involve legal liabilities. In recognition of this need as well as in recognition of the fact that such referral facilities are scarce in our country, a NRDC has been established by DGFASLI in the Central Labour Institute.

Suspected cases of occupational diseases are referred to these centers by Factory Medical Officers, Medical Inspectors of Factories, Certifying Surgeons, Public hospitals, etc. for opinion. The cases are physically examined, subjected to investigations at the institute and report is given by co-relating with the occupational history before arriving at a confirmed diagnosis.