Factories Act · 1985 Revised Edition · Part V · Safety (General Provisions)
39. Air receivers
Feedback & supportLast amended by an amending law of 1986. 2 amendments in all.
Every air receiver and its fittings shall be of sound construction and properly maintained.
air receiver
“air receiver” means —(a)any vessel (other than a pipe or coil or an accessory, fitting or part of a compressor) for containing compressed air and connected with an air compressing plant;(b)any fixed vessel for containing compressed air and used for the purpose of starting an internal combustion engine;(c)any blast air bottle; or(d)any vessel in which any substance in the form of solid or liquid is stored and from which it is forced by compressed air;
Every air receiver shall —
have marked upon it, so as to be plainly visible, the safe working pressure;
in the case of a receiver connected with an air compressing plant, either be so constructed as to withstand with safety the maximum pressure which can be obtained in the compressor, or be fitted with a suitable reducing valve or other suitable appliance to prevent the safe working pressure of the receiver being exceeded;
be fitted with a suitable safety valve so adjusted as to permit the air to escape as soon as the safe working pressure is exceeded;
be fitted with an accurate pressure gauge indicating the pressure in the receiver;
be fitted with a suitable appliance for draining the receiver (except a receiver in which substance in the form of solid or liquid is stored and from which it is forced by compressed air);
be provided with a suitable manhole, handhole or other means which will allow the interior to be thoroughly cleaned; and
where there is more than one receiver in use in the factory, bear a distinguishing mark which shall be easily visible.
For the purpose of subsection (2), relating to safety valves and pressure gauges, any set of air receivers supplied with air through a single pipe may be treated as one receiver but in the case where a suitable reducing valve or other suitable appliance to prevent the safe working pressure being exceeded is required to be fitted, this subsection shall not apply unless the valve or appliance is fitted on the single pipe.
safe working pressure
“safe working pressure” means, in the case of a new steam receiver or air receiver or refrigerating plant pressure receiver, that pressure specified in the certificate referred to in section 37(7), 39(7) or 40(1) and, in the case of a steam receiver or air receiver or refrigerating plant pressure receiver which has been examined in accordance with section 37, 39 or 40, that pressure specified in the report of the last examination;
Every air receiver shall be thoroughly cleaned and examined at least once in every 24 months except that in the case of a receiver of solid drawn construction, if it is so constructed that the internal surface cannot be thoroughly examined, a suitable hydraulic test of the receiver shall be carried out in lieu of internal examination.
The Chief Inspector may, if he thinks fit, by certificate in writing authorise subject to any conditions specified in the certificate, a period exceeding 24 months within which the examination under subsection (4) is to be made.
Chief Inspector
“Chief Inspector” means the Chief Inspector appointed under this Act and any other inspector authorised to act on his behalf by the Commissioner;
Every examination and test referred to in subsection (4) shall be carried out by an authorised boiler inspector, and a report of the result of every such examination and test, in the prescribed form and containing the prescribed particulars (including particulars of the safe working pressure), shall be prepared in duplicate and signed by the person making the examination. One copy of the report shall be handed to the occupier of the factory and the other copy shall be sent to the Chief Inspector.
No air receiver which has previously been used shall be taken into use in any factory for the first time in that factory until it has been examined and reported on in accordance with subsection (6); and no new air receiver shall be taken into use unless there has been obtained from the Chief Inspector a certificate specifying the safe working pressure of the receiver and stating the nature of the tests to which the receiver and fittings have been submitted, and the certificate is kept available for inspection and the receiver is so marked as to enable it to be identified as the receiver to which the certificate refers.
factory
“factory” means any premises in which, or within the close or curtilage or precincts of which, persons are employed in manual labour in any process for or incidental to any of the following purposes:(a)the making of any article or of part of any article;(b)the altering, repairing, ornamenting, finishing, cleaning, or washing, or the breaking up or demolition of any article; or(c)the adapting for sale of any article,being premises in which, or within the close or curtilage or precincts of which, the work is carried on by way of trade or for purposes of gain and to or over which the employer of the persons employed therein has the right of access or control.(2) Whether or not premises are factories by reason of the foregoing definition, “factory” also includes the following premises in which persons are employed in manual labour:(a)any yard or dry dock (including the precincts thereof) in which ships are constructed, reconstructed, repaired, refitted, finished or broken up;(b)any premises in which the business of sorting articles is carried on as a preliminary to the work carried on in any factory or incidentally to the purposes of any factory;(c)any premises in which the business of washing or filling bottles or containers or packing articles is carried on incidentally to the purposes of any factory;(d)any premises in which the business of hooking, plaiting, lapping, making up or packing of yarn or cloth is carried on;(e)any laundry carried on as ancillary to another business or incidentally to the purposes of any public institution;(f)any premises in which the construction, reconstruction or repair of locomotives, aircraft, vehicles or other plant for use for transport purposes is carried on as ancillary to a transport undertaking or other industrial or commercial undertaking, not being any premises used for the purpose of housing locomotives, aircraft or vehicles where only cleaning, washing, running repairs or minor adjustments are carried out;(g)any premises in which printing by letter press, lithography, photogravure, or other similar process, or bookbinding is carried on by way of trade or for purposes of gain or incidentally to another business so carried on;(h)any premises in which the making, adaptation or repair of dresses, scenery or properties is carried on incidentally to the production, exhibition or presentation by way of trade or for purposes of gain of cinematograph films or theatrical performances, not being a stage or dressing-room of a theatre in which only occasional adaptations or repairs are made;(i)any premises in which the business of making or mending nets is carried on incidentally to the fishing industry;(j)any premises in which mechanical power is used in connection with the making or repair of any article incidentally to any business carried on by way of trade or for purposes of gain;(k)any premises in which the production of cinematograph films is carried on by way of trade or for purposes of gain, so however that the employment at any such premises of theatrical performers and of attendants on such theatrical performers shall not be deemed to be employment in a factory;(l)any premises in which articles are made or prepared incidentally to the carrying on of building operations or works of engineering construction, not being premises in which such operations or works are being carried on;(m)any premises used for the storage of gas in a gas-holder having a storage capacity of not less than 140 cubic metres;(n)any premises in which persons are employed in or in connection with the generating of electrical energy for supply by way of trade, or for supply for the purposes of any industrial or commercial undertaking or of any public building or public institution, or for supply to streets or other public places;(o)any premises in which mechanical power is used for the purposes of or in connection with a water supply, being premises in which persons are regularly employed;(p)any sewage works in which mechanical power is used and any pumping station used in connection therewith;(q)any premises in which building operations or works of engineering construction are being carried on.(3) Any line or siding, which is used in connection with and for the purposes of a factory, shall be deemed to be part of the factory; and if any such line or siding is used in connection with more than one factory belonging to different occupiers, the line or siding shall be deemed to be a separate factory.(4) Any workplace in which, with the permission of or under agreement with the owner or occupier, 10 or more persons carry on any work which would constitute the workplace a factory if the persons working therein were in the employment of the owner or occupier of the workplace, shall be deemed to be a factory for the purposes of this Act, and, in the case of any such workplace, the provisions of this Act shall apply as if the owner or occupier of the workplace were the occupier of the factory and the persons working therein were persons employed in the factory.(5) No premises shall be deemed to be a factory in which less than 10 persons are employed and in which —(a)no mechanical power, steam boiler, steam container, steam receiver, cast-iron underfired vulcaniser, air receiver, refrigerating plant pressure receiver or gas plant is used; and(b)no highly inflammable or noxious substance is manipulated, used or created.(6) Where a place situated within the close, curtilage or precincts forming a factory is solely used for some purpose other than the processes carried on in the factory, that place shall not be deemed to form part of the factory for the purposes of this Act, but shall, if otherwise it would be a factory, be deemed to be a separate factory.(7) A part of a factory may, with the approval in writing of the Chief Inspector, be deemed to be a separate factory; and two or more factories may, with the approval in writing of the Chief Inspector, be deemed to be a single factory.(8) Premises shall not be excluded from the definition of a factory by reason only that they are open air premises.(9) Any premises belonging to or in the occupation of the Government or of any statutory board or body shall not be deemed not to be a factory, and any premises in which building operations or works of engineering construction are carried on by or on behalf of the Government or any such board or body shall not be excluded from the operation of this Act by reason only that the work carried on thereat is not carried on by way of trade or for purposes of gain. Subject to this section,
Any occupier of a factory who for the purposes of this section desires that an examination or test of an air receiver should be carried out by an authorised boiler inspector who is an inspector shall notify the Chief Inspector accordingly and, on payment by such occupier of the prescribed fee, the Chief Inspector shall instruct such an authorised boiler inspector to carry out the examination.
occupier
“occupier”, in relation to a factory, means a person who occupies or uses premises as a factory;
No air receiver shall be charged from the cylinder of an internal combustion engine.