Factories Act 1961 etc. (Metrication) Regulations 1983

JurisdictionUK Non-devolved

1983 No. 978

HEALTH AND SAFETY

The Factories Act 1961 etc. (Metrication) Regulations 1983

Made 7th July 1983

Laid before Parliament 21th July 1983

Coming into Operation 12th August 1983

The Secretary of State, in exercise of the powers conferred on him by sections 15(1) and (3)(a), 49 and 82(3)(a) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 19741(“the 1974 Act”) and of all other powers enabling him in that behalf and for the purpose of giving effect without modifications to proposals submitted to him by the Health and Safety Commission under section 11(2)(d) of the 1974 Act after the carrying out by the said Commission of consultations in accordance with section 50(3) of that Act, hereby makes the following Regulations:—

S-1 Citation and commencement

Citation and commencement

1. These Regulations may be cited as the Factories Act 1961 etc. (Metrication) Regulations 1983 and shall come into operation on 12th August 1983.

S-2 Amendment of section 19(1) of the Factories Act 1961 to alter standards of safety

Amendment of section 19(1) of the Factories Act 1961 to alter standards of safety

2. Section 19(1) of the Factories Act 19612(which relates to self-acting machines) shall be amended by substituting for the measurement the measurement .

S-3 Amendments to the Factories Act 1961 to substitute metric measurements for imperial measurements

Amendments to the Factories Act 1961 to substitute metric measurements for imperial measurements

3.—(1) The provisions of the Factories Act 1961 specified in Schedule 1 to these Regulations in column 1 shall be amended by substituting for the measurements set out opposite thereto in column 3 the measurements set out in the corresponding entry in column 4.

(2) In section 176(1) of the Factories Act 1961 the words shall be omitted.

(3) For the First Schedule to the Factories Act 1961 there shall be substituted Schedule 2 to these Regulations.

S-4 Application to existing premises and plant or premises and plant under construction

Application to existing premises and plant or premises and plant under construction

4.—(1) Subject to paragraph (2) of this Regulation, where any premises or plant in existence or under construction immediately before the coming into operation of these Regulations complied with the Factories Act 1961 as then in force, then those premises or that plant shall be deemed to comply with that Act as amended by these Regulations.

(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1) of this Regulation, sections 3(2), 68(4) and (8) of, and the First Schedule to, the Factories Act 1961 as amended by these Regulations shall apply in all relevant workrooms whether or not in existence or under construction immediately before the coming into operation of these Regulations, but nothing in this paragraph shall prevent the use of thermometers graduated in degrees Fahrenheit in workrooms under construction or in existence immediately before the coming into operation of these Regulations if such thermometers are provided with suitable conversion tables to convert their readings to degrees Celsius.

S-5 Amendments to the Abstract of Factories Act Order 1973

Amendments to the Abstract of Factories Act Order 1973

5.—(1) The provisions of the Abstract of Factories Act Order 1973 specified in Schedule 3 to these Regulations in column 1 shall be amended by substituting for the measurements set out opposite thereto in column 3 the measurements set out in the corresponding entry in column 4.

(2) After paragraph 57 of Schedule 1 to the Abstract of Factories Act Order 1973 there shall be added the following paragraph—

58. Metrication: Where any premises or plant in existence or under construction immediately before the coming into operation of the Factories Act 1961 etc. (Metrication) Regulations 1983 complied with the Factories Act 1961 as then in force, then those premises or that plant shall be deemed to comply with that Act as amended by those Regulations except that section 3(2) of the Factories Act 1961 as likewise amended and which is referred to in paragraph 3 of this Schedule shall apply to all relevant workrooms whether or not in existence or under construction immediately before the coming into operation of these Regulations.

John Selwyn Gummer

Joint Parliamentary Under Secretary of State

Department of Employment

7th July 1983

SCHEDULE 1

Regulation 3(1)

AMENDMENTS TO THE FACTORIES ACT 1961

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

Provision to be amended

Subject-matter of measurement

Present measurement

Measurement to be substituted

The Factories Act 1961

Section 2(2)

Minimum amount of cubic space per person employed in a workroom

Four hundred cubic feet

11 cubic metres

Section 2(5)

Maximum height from floor to be taken into account when calculating cubic space

Fourteen feet

4.2 metres

Section 3(2)

Minimum temperature of workroom after the first hour

Sixty degrees

16 degrees Celsius

Section 18(1)

Minimum height of edge of fixed vessel, structure, sump or pit containing scalding, corrosive or poisonous liquid which need not be covered or fenced

Three feet

920 millimetres

Minimum height of secure fencing to surround the vessel, structure, sump or pit etc.

Three feet

920 millimetres

Section 18(2)(a)

Minimum width of ladder, stair or gangway placed above, across or inside any vessel, structure, sump etc.

Eighteen inches

460 millimetres

Section 18(2)(b)

Minimum height of fencing on either side of ladder, stair or gangway

Three feet

920 millimetres

Section 18(3)

Passage between adjoining vessels etc to be barred unless there is

(a) minimum space between vessels or

Eighteen inches

460 millimetres

(b) minimum height of secure fencing

Three feet

920 millimetres

Section 19(1)

Minimum distance between traversing carriage of any self-acting spinning mule and any part of the head stock of another such machine

Twelve inches

310 millimetres

Section 26(1)(f)

Maximum thickness of chains or slings to be annealed every six months

Half-inch

13 millimetres

Section 27(7)

Minimum distance between over-head travelling crane and person working on or near its wheel track

Twenty feet

6 metres

Section 29(2)

Distance which person will be liable to fall

Six feet six inches

2 metres

Section 30(2)

Minimum length of manhole (if rectangular or oval) in any chamber, tank, vat etc.

Eighteen inches

460 millimetres

Minimum width of manhole (if rectangular or oval)

Sixteen inches

410 millimetres

Minimum diameter of manhole (if circular)

Eighteen inches

460 millimetres

Minimum length of manhole (if rectangular or oval) in any tank wagon and other mobile plant

Sixteen inches

410 millimetres

Minimum width of manhole (if rectangular or oval)

Fourteen inches

360 millimetres

Minimum diameter of manhole (if circular)

Sixteen inches

410 millimetres

Section 39(7)

Storage capacity of water-sealed gasholder

Five thousand cubic feet

140 cubic metres

Section 68(4)

Wet bulb temperature reading above which artificial humidification is prohibited

Seventy two and a half degrees

22.5 degrees Celsius

Wet bulb temperature reading above which artificial humidification is prohibited when spinning cotton or spinning merino or cashmere by the French or dry process or spinning or combing wool by that process

Eighty degrees

26.5 degrees Celsius

Section 68(6)

Temperature of water absorbing oxygen from permanganate of potash solution

Sixty degrees

16 degrees Celsius

Ratio of water to oxygen absorbed

Half a grain per gallon of water

7 milligrams per litre of water

Section 68(8)

Minimum difference in readings of the wet and dry bulb thermometers

Four degrees

2 degrees Celsius

Section 175(2)(n)

Storage capacity of gasholder

Five thousand cubic feet

140 cubic metres

SCHEDULE 2

Regulation 3(3)

SCHEDULE 2

FIRST SCHEDULE

Section 68

TABLE OF HUMIDITY

I

II

Dry Bulb Temperature

Wet Bulb Temperature

Degrees Celsius

Degrees Celsius

10

9

11

10

12

11

13

12

14

13

15

14

16

15

17

16

18

17

19

18

20

19

21

20

22

20.5

23

21

24

22

25

22.5

26

23.5

27

24

28

25

29

26

30

26.5

SCHEDULE 3

Regulation 5(1)

AMENDMENTS TO THE SCHEDULES TO ABSTRACT OF FACTORIES ACT ORDER 1973

(...

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