Section 61 in The West Bengal Factories Rules, 1958
61. Fire.
(1)Process, equipment, plant, etc., involving serious explosion and serious fire hazards: In every factory-(a)all process [storages, equipments, plants, etc.,] [Inserted by W. B. Factories Amendment Rules, 1991, dated 27.11.1991.] involving serious explosion and flash-fire hazards shall be located in segregated buildings where the equipment shall be so arranged that only a minimum number of employees are exposed to such hazards at any one time;(b)all industrial processes involving serious fire hazards should be located in buildings or work places separated from one another by walls of fire-resistant construction;(c)all equipment and plant involving serious fire or flash-fire hazards shall, wherever possible, be so constructed and installed that in case of fire they can be easily isolated;(d)all ventilation ducts, pneumatic conveyors and similar equipment involving a serious fire risk shall be provided with flame-arresting or automatic fire extinguishing [appliances, or fire resisting dampers electrically interlocked with heat sensitive/smoke detectors and the air conditioning plant system; and] [Substituted by W. B. Factories Amendment Rules, 1991, dated 27.11.1991.](e)in all work places having serious fire or flash-fire hazards, passages between machines, installation or piles of material shall be at least 90cm. wide. [For storage piles, the clearance between the ceiling and the top of the pile shall not be less than 2m] [Inserted by W. B. Factories Amendment Rules, 1991, dated 27.11.1991.](2)Access for fire fighting : - (a) Buildings and Plants shall be so laid and roads, passageways, etc., shall be so maintained as to permit unobstructed access for fire fighting.(b)[ Doors and window openings shall be located in suitable positions on all external walls of the buildings to provide easy access to the entire area within every building for fire fighting.] [Inserted By W.B. Factories Amendment Rules, 1991 dated 27.11.1991 ](3)Protection against lightning : Protection from lightning shall be provided for -(a)a building in which explosive or highly flammable substances are manufactured, used, handled or stored;(b)storage tanks containing oils, paints, or other flammable liquids;(c)grain elevators;[* * *] [Omitted by ibid](d)buildings, tall chimneys or stocks where flammable gases, fume. dust or lint are likely to be present; and(4)[* * *] [Omitted by ibid](5)Precautions against ignition: Wherever there is danger of fire or explosion from accumulation of flammable or explosive substances in air,(a)all electrical apparatus shall either be excluded from the area of risk, or they shall be of such construction and so installed and maintained as to prevent the danger of their being a source of ignition;(b)effective measures shall be adopted for prevention of accumulation of static charges to dangerous extent;(c)workers shall wear shoes without iron or steel nails or any other exposed ferrous materials which is likely to cause sparks by friction;(d)smoking, lighting or carrying of matches, lighters or smoking materials shall be prohibited;(e)no transmission belts with iron fasteners shall be used; and(f)all other precautions, as are reasonably practicable, shall be taken to prevent initiation of ignition from all other possible sources such as open flame, frictional sparks, over-heated surfaces of machinery or plant, chemical or physical chemical reaction and radiant heat.(6)Spontaneous ignition: - (a) Where materials are likely to induce spontaneous ignition care shall, be taken to avoid formation of air pocket and to ensure adequate ventilation.(b)[ Material susceptible to spontaneous ignition shall be stored in dry condition and in heaps .of such capacity and separated by such passage so as to prevent spontaneous ignition; and(c)material susceptible to spontaneous ignition when stored in the open shall be at a distance not less than 10 metres away from process or storage buildings.](7)Cylinders containing compressed gas: - Cylinders containing compressed gas may only be stored in open if they are protected against excessive variation of temperature, direct rays of sun, or continuous dampness. Such cylinders shall never be stored near highly flammable substances, furnaces or hot processes. The form where such cylinders are stored shall have adequate ventilation.(8)Storage of flammable liquids : (a) The quantity of flammable liquids in any work room shall be minimum required for the process or processes carried on in such room. Flammable liquids shall be stored in suitable with close fitting covers :Provided that not more than 20 litres of flammable liquids having a flash point of 210C or less shall be kept or stored in any work room.(b)Flammable liquids shall be stored in closed containers and in limited quantities in well ventilated rooms or Fire resisting construction which are isolated from the remainder of the building by fire walls and self closing fire doors.(c)Large quantities of such liquids shall be stored in adequately ventilated buildings of fire resisting construction or in storage tanks, preferably underground, and these shall be located at a distance from any building as required in the Petroleum Rules, 1976.(d)Effective steps shall be taken to prevent leakage of such liquids into basements, sumps or drains and to confine any escaping liquid within safe limits.(9)Accumulation of flammable dust, gas. fume or vapour in air or flammable waste material on the floors : In every factory -(a)effective steps shall be taken for removal or prevention of the accumulation in the air of flammable dust, gas, fume or vapour to an extent which is likely to be dangerous, and(b)no waste material of a flammable nature shall be permitted to accumulate on the floor and shall be removed at least once in a day or shift, and more often, when possible. and such materials shall be placed in suitable metal containers with covers wherever possible.(10)Fire exits: - (a) In this rule. -(i)"horizontal exit' means an arrangement which allows alternative egress from a floor area to another floor at or near the same level in an adjoining building or an adjoining part of the same building with adequate separation, and(ii)"travel distance" means the distance an occupant has to travel to reach an exit.(b)In every room of a factory, exits sufficient to permit safe escape of the occupants in case of fire or other emergency shall be provided and the same shall be free from any obstruction.(c)[ an exit be a doorway, corridor, passage way to an external stairway segregated from the rest of building by fire resisting walls which shall provide continuous and protected means of agrees to the exterior of a building or to an exterior open space. An exit may also include a horizontal exit leading to an adjoining building at the same level.](d)Lifts, escalators and revolving doors shall not be considered as exits for the purpose of this sub-rule.(e)[ The exits shall be clearly visible and sufficiently illuminated with suitable arrangement by such artificial lighting, as is needed to be adopted for this purpose, to maintain the required illumination in case of failure of the normal source of electric supply.] [Substituted by W. B. Factories (Amendment) Rules, 1991 dated 27.11.1991](f)The exits shall be marked in a language understood by the majority of the workers.(g)Fire resisting doors or roller shutters shall be provided at appropriate places along the escape routes to prevent spread of fire and smoke, particularly at the entrance of lift shafts or stairways where funnel or flue effect may be created an upward spread of fire.(h)All exits shall provide continuous means of egress to the exterior of a building or to an exterior open space leading to a street.(i)Exits shall be so located that the travel distance on the floor shall not exceed 30 metres.(j)In case of those factories where materials of high hazard are stored or used, the travel distance to the exit shall not exceed 22.5 metres and there shall be at least two ways of escape from every room however small except toilet rooms, so located that the points of access thereto are out of or suitably shielded from areas of high hazard.(k)Wherever more than one exit is required for any room, space or floor, exits shall be placed as remote from each other as possible and shall be arranged to provide direct access in separate directions from any point in the area served.(l)The unit of exit width, used to measure capacity of any exit, shall be 50 cm. A clear width of 25 cm. shall be counted as an additional half unit. Clear width of less than 25 cm. shall not be counted for exit width.(m)Occupants per unit width shall be 50 for stairs and 75 for doors.(n)For determining the exits required, the occupant load shall be reckoned on the basis of actual number of occupants within any floor area or 10 square metres per person, whichever is more.(o)There shall not be less than two exits serving every floor area above and below the ground floor, and at least one of them shall be an internal enclosed stairway. [Iron rung ladders or spiral staircases shall not be acceptable for use as exit staircases.] [Inserted by Amendment Rules, 1991](p)For every building or structure used for storage only, and every section thereof considered separately, shall have access to at least one exit so arranged and located as to provide a suitable and unimpeded means of escape for any person employed therein, and in any such room wherein more than 10 persons may normally present, at least two separate means of exit shall be available, as remote from each other as practicable.(q)Every storage area shall have access to at least one means of exit which can be readily opened.(r)Every exit doorway shall open into an enclosed stairway, a horizontal exit. on a corridor or passageway providing continuous and protected means [of egress.] [Substituted by W. B. Factories (Amendment) Rules, 1991 dated 27.11.1991](s)No exit doorways shall be less than 100 cm. in width. Doorways shall be not less than 200 cm. in height.(t)Exit doorways shall open outwards, that is away from the room but shall not obstruct the travel along any exit. No door, when opened, shall reduce the required width of stairway of landing to less than 90 centimetres sliding door with up-down movement shall not be installed for this purpose.(u)An exit door shall not open immediately upon a flight of stairs : A landing, at least 1.5m x 1.5m in size shall be provided in the stairway at each doorway. The level of landing shall be the same as that of the floor which it serves.] [Substituted by W. B. Factories (Amendment) Rules, 1991 dated 27.11.1991](v)The exit doorways shall openable from the side which they serve without the use of a key.(w)Exit corridors and passageways shall be of a width not less than the aggregate required width of exit doorways leading from there in the direction of travel to the exterior.(x)Where stairways discharge through corridors and passageways, the height of the corridors and passageways shall not be less than 2.4 metres.(y)[(y) * * *] [Deleted by ibid.](z)[(z) * * *] [Deleted by ibid.](aa)A staircase shall not be arranged around lift chaft unless the latter is totally enclosed by a material having a fire-resistance rating not lower than that of the type of construction of the former.(bb)Hollow combustible construction shall not be permitted.(cc)The minimum width of an internal staircase shall be 100 cm.(dd)The minimum width of treads without nosing shall be 25 cm. for an internal staircase. The treads shall be constructed and maintained in a manner to prevent slipping.(ee)The maximum height of a riser shall be 19 cm. and the number of risers shall be limited to 12 per flight.(ff)Hand rails shall be provided with a minimum height of 100 cm and shall be firmly supported.(gg)The use of spiral staircase shall be limited to low-occupant toad and to a building of height of 9 metres, unless they are connected to platforms such as balconies and terractes to allow escapes to pause. A spiral staircase shall be not less than 300 cm in diameter and have adequate head room.(hh)The width of a horizontal exit shall be same as for the exit doorways.(ii)The horizontal exit shall be equipped with atleast one fire door of self-closing type.(jj)The floor area on the opposite or refuge side of a horizontal exit shall be sufficient to accommodate occupants of the floor areas served allowing not less than 0.3 square metre per person. The refuge area shall be provided with exits adequate to meet the requirements of this sub-rule. At least one of the exits shall lead directly to the exterior or street.(kk)Where there is difference in level between connected ares for horizontal exit, ramps not more than 1 in 8 slopes shall be provided. For this purpose steps shall not used.(ll)Doors in horizontal exits shall be openable at all times.(mm)Ramps with a slope of not more than 1 in 10 may be substituted for requirements of staircase. For all slopes exceeding 1 in 10 and wherever the use is such as to staircase. For all slopes exceeding 1 in 10 and wherever the use is such as to involve danger of slipping, the ramp shall be surfaced with non-slipping material.(nn)In any building not provided with automatic fire alarm, a manual fire alarm system shall be provided if the total capacity of the building is over 500 persons, or if more than 25 persons are employed above or below the ground floor, except that not manual fire alarm shall be required in one-storey buildings where with entire area is undivided and all parts thereof are clearly visible to all occupants.(oo)[ If the Chief Inspector is satisfied in respect of any factory or any part of a factory that owing to the exceptional circumstances or for any other reason, to be recorded in writing, all or any of the requirements of this rule are/is impracticable or not necessary for the protection of workers, he may by order in writing, (which he may, at his discretion, revoke), exempt such factory or part of that factory from all or any of the provisions of the sub-rules subject to conditions as may be specified in the order.] [Substituted by the W. B. Factories (Amendment) Rules, 1991 dated 27.11.1991]
