Safety in Industry Act, 1980

Cleaning of machinery.

18.—The following section is hereby substituted for section 31 of the Principal Act:

“31.—(1) A young person shall not clean, nor shall he be required to clean, any part of a prime mover or of any transmission machinery while the prime mover or transmission machinery is in motion, nor shall he clean or be required to clean any part of any steam boiler, steam receiver, air receiver, lifting machine, or other machine if the cleaning thereof would expose him to risk of injury from any moving part either of that machine or of any adjacent machinery.

(2) (a) In addition to the requirements of subsection (1) of this section, a person shall not clean, nor shall he be required to clean, a steam boiler, steam receiver, air receiver, lifting machine, or other machine unless a safe system of work is in operation as regards the machine and such system previously has been made known to him. The safe system referred to shall, where practicable, be such that—

(i) before commencing to clean the machine the power required to drive the machine shall be isolated by, or with the knowledge of, the person who is to clean the machine by cutting off the power of the machine or otherwise depriving the machine of such power, and

(ii) the supply of such power may only be restored to the machine by such person, or by some other person, being a person standing for the time being designated for the purposes of this section by the occupier, either with the knowledge and consent of the person who is to clean or is cleaning the machine or after that other person has taken such steps as are appropriate to ensure that it is safe to restore such supply.

(b) Where it is not practicable to provide for the isolation as aforesaid of the power required to drive a machine, the safe system of work referred to shall include provisions to ensure that—

(i) in case the machine is in motion immediately before the cleaning of the machine is commenced, the machine cannot remain in motion without the knowledge and consent of the person who is about to clean the machine,

(ii) where a machine is being cleaned and is not in motion, the machine may only be put in motion either by the person cleaning the machine, or by some other person, being a person standing for the time being designated for the purposes of this section by the occupier, either with the knowledge and consent of the person cleaning the machine or after that other person has taken such steps as are appropriate to ensure that it is safe to put the machine in motion.

(3) In this section and in section 32 of this Act (inserted by section 17 of the Safety in Industry Act, 1980) ‘lifting machine’ has the meaning assigned to it by section 35 (10) of this Act (inserted by section 28 of the Safety in Industry Act, 1980).”.