(1)Processes, equipment, plant, etc., involving serious explosion and serious fire hazards-(a)[ All process, storages, equipments, plants etc. involving serious explosion and flash fire hazard 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 time.] [Clause (a) substituted by SRO No. 1149/2001 dt. 28-12-2001](b)All industrial processes involving serious fire hazard shall be located in buildings or work places separated from one another by walls of fire-resistant construction.(c)Equipment and plant involving serious fire or flash fire hazard shall, wherever possible, be so constructed and installed that in case of fire, they can be easily isolated.(d)[ Ventilation ducts, pneumatic conveyors and similar equipment involving various fire risk should be provided with flame-arresting or automatic fire extinguishing appliances or fire resisting dampers electrically inter located with heat sensitive smoke detectors and air conditioning plant system.] [Clause (d) substituted by SRO No. 1149/2001 dt. 28-12-2001](e)[ In all work places having serious fire or flash fire hazards, passages between machines installations or piles of material should be at least 90cm.wide. For storage piles, the clearance between the ceiling and the top of the pile should not be less than 2 metres] [Clause (e) substituted by SRO No. 1149/2001 dt. 28-12-2001.](2)Access for fire fighting. - [(a)] [Sub-rule (2) renumbered as clause (a) of that rule by SRO. No. 1149/2001 dt. 28-12-2001.] buildings and plants shall be so laid out and roads, passage ways etc., 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 building to provide easy access to the entire area within the building for firefighting] [Inserted clause (b) by SRO. No. 1149/2001 dt. 28-12-2001.].(3)Protection against lighting. - Protection from lightning shall be provided for-(i)buildings in which explosive or highly flammable substances are manufactured, used, handled or stored;(ii)storage tanks containing oils, paints or other flammable liquids;(iii)grain elevators; and(iv)buildings, tall chimneys or stacks where flammable gases, fumes, dust or lint are likely to be present.(v)[ sub-station buildings and out-door transformers and switch yard.] [Item (v) added by SRO No. 1149/2001 dt. 28-12-2001](4)Explosives. - All Explosives shall be handled, transported, stored and used in accordance with the provisions in the Indian Explosives Act, 1884, (Central Act 4 of 1884).(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 a 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 matches ,lighters or smoking materials shall be prohibited.(e)transmission belts with iron fasteners shall not 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 flames, frictional sparks overheated surfaces of machinery or plant, chemical or physical-chemical reaction and radiant heat.[The material susceptible to spontaneous ignition shall be stored in dry condition and should be in heaps of such capacity and separated by such passage which will prevent fire. The materials susceptible to ignition and stored in the open shall be at a distance not less than 1 meter away from process or storage buildings] [Added by SRO. No. 1149/2001 dt. 28-12-2001.].(6)Spontaneous ignition. - Where materials are likely to induce spontaneous ignition, care shall be taken to avoid formation of air pocket and to ensure adequate ventilation.(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 process. The room 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 the minimum required for the process or processes carried on in such room. Flammable liquids shall be stored in suitable containers with close fitting covers:Provided that not more than 20 litres of flammable liquids having a flash point of 21 o C 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 of 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 isolated and adequately ventilated building of fire resisting construction or in storage tanks, preferably underground and at 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, fumes or vapour in air or flammable waste material on the floors(a)Effective steps shall be taken for removal or prevention of the accumulation in the air of flammable dust, gas, fume or vapor to an extent which is likely to be dangerous.(b)No waste materials of a flammable nature shall be permitted to accumulate on the floors and shall be removed at least once in a day or shift, and more often, when possible. 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)An exit may be a doorway, corridor, passageway to an internal or external stairway or to a verandah. An exit may also include a horizontal exit leading to an adjoining building at the same level.(c)[ The number and types of first-aid firefighting equipment to be provided for light hazard occupancy shall be as given in Schedule I. For the ordinary hazard or extra hazard occupancies, equipment as given in sub-rule 12 shall be provided in addition to that given in Schedule I.] [Substituted by by SRO. No. 1149/2001 dt. 28-12-2001.](d)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 which shall be free of any obstruction.(e)The exits shall be clearly visible and suitably illuminated with suitable arrangement, whatever artificial lighting is to be adopted for this purpose, to maintain the required illumination in case of failure of the normal source of electric supply.(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 lifts or stairs where funnel or flue effect may be created inducing 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 high hazard materials 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 50cm. A clear width of 25cm. shall be counted as an additional half unit. Clear width of less than 25cm. 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.(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 suitably means of escape for any person employed therein, and in any such room wherein more than 10 persons may be 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.(s)No exit doorway shall be less than 100cm. in width. Doorways shall be not less than 200cm. in height.(t)Exit doorways shall open outwards, that is, away from the room, but shall not obstruct the travel along any exit. No doors when opened shall reduce the required width of stairway or landing to less than 90cm. Over head or sliding doors shall not be installed for this purpose.(u)An exit door shall not open immediately upon a flight of stairs. A landing equal to at least the width of the doorway 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.(v)The Exit doorways shall be open able from the side which they serve without the use of a key.(w)Exit for corridors and passageways shall be of 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 though corridors and passageways, the height of the corridors and pass age ways shall not be less than 2.4 metres.(y)Internal stairs shall be constructed of non-combustible materials throughout.(z)Internal stairs shall be constructed as a self-contained unit width at least one side adjacent to an external wall and shall be completely enclosed.(aa)A staircase shall not be arranged round a lift shaft 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 100cm.(dd)The minimum width of treads without nosing shall be 25cm. For an internal staircase. The threads shall be constructed and maintained in a manner to prevent slipping.(ee)The maximum height of a riser shall be 19cm. and the number of risers shall be limited to 12 per flight.(ff)Hand rails shall be provided with a minimum height of 100cm. and shall be firmly supported.(gg)The use of spiral staircase shall be limited to low occupant load and to a building of height of 9 metres, unless they are connected to platforms such as balconies and terraces 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 at least one fire door or 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 areas for horizontal exit, ramps not more than 1 in 8 slope shall be provided. For this purpose steps shall not be used.(ll)Doors in horizontal exits shall be open able at all times.(mm)Ramps with a slope of not more than 1 in 10 may be substituted for the requirements of 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 materials.(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 no manual fire alarm shall be required in one-storey buildings where the entire area is undivided and all parts thereof are clearly visible to all occupants.
