The Pottery (Health and Welfare) Special Regulations 1950

Floors

18.—(1) The floor of every slip-house shall:—

(a) be impervious to water and of even surface;

(b) be so constructed and maintained as to prevent the formation of pools of water or slip; and

(c) be swilled daily and kept clean;

and in connection with every such floor there shall be effective and suitable drainage arrangements for carrying off water from the floor.

(2) The floors of all places where the sieving, crushing or grinding of flint or of quartz is carried on shall:—

(a) be impervious floors of brick, flag or similar hard material;

(b) be kept in good repair; and

(c) be thoroughly cleaned daily by washing or swilling.

(3) (a) In all potters' shops, including such drying stoves as are entered by workpeople, and in all places where any of the following processes is carried on, namely:—

(i) the drying of clay or the preparation of clay dust;

(ii) the making or mixing of frits or glazes containing lead or of colours;

(iii) the preparation or weighing out of flow material;

(iv) colour blowing, or the wiping off of colour after that process;

(v) ground laying or colour dusting, or the wiping off of colour after either of those processes;

(vi) colour grinding for colour blowers;

(vii) lithographic transfer making;

(viii) the application of majolica or other glaze by blowing, painting or any other process except dipping;

there shall, subject to sub-paragraphs (b) and (c) of this paragraph, be provided and maintained either floors having a surface impervious to water or wooden floors with a thoroughly smooth and sound surface constructed in a substantial manner and kept in good repair so that they can be properly cleaned by a moist method and so that no dust can fall through into any room below.

(b) In the case of:—

(i) potters' shops, including such drying stoves as are entered by work people, and

(ii) places where there is carried on the drying of clay or the preparation of clay dust, and

(iii) places where there is carried on the making or mixing of frits or glazes containing lead or of colours or the preparation or weighing out of flow material,

but subject to sub-paragraph (c) of this paragraph and to paragraph (12) of this Regulation, all floors constructed or reconstructed after the commencement of these Regulations shall be impervious to water and of even surface and shall be capable of being washed down by a hose; and all other floors shall after the expiry of five years from the commencement of these Regulations have an even surface impervious to water.

(c) Notwithstanding sub-paragraphs (a) and (b) of this paragraph, there may be grids in floors where they are approved by certificate of the Inspector for the District, but in any such case the spaces below the grids shall be cleared of clay scraps, dust or debris whenever necessary and not less frequently than once in each week by an adult male who shall be provided with an approved respirator, and such cleaning shall only be carried out after work has ceased for the day and before 3 a.m. on the following day.

(d) Subject to the provisions of paragraph (12) of this Regulation, the floors of potters' shops, including such drying stoves as are entered by work-people, and of places where any of the processes specified in sub-paragraph (a) of this paragraph is carried on, shall be thoroughly cleaned either:—

(i) daily by a moist method after work has ceased for the day and before 3 a.m. on the following day and also, in the case of any potters' shop having an impervious floor, by washing or mopping with water on at least one day in each week, or

(ii) daily with an efficient vacuum cleaning apparatus.

(e) All clay scraps and debris, including any which have collected under benches and stillages, shall be removed daily from the floors of potters shops and of such drying stoves as are entered by workpeople.

(f) On each day between 12 noon and 2 p.m., at such time as the number of persons in the workroom is expected to be least, all clay scraps shall be removed from those parts of the floors of potters' shops on which persons are liable to tread.

(g) In all potters' shops and in all drying stoves which are entered by workpeople boxes shall be provided for the reception of clay scraps and broken ware.

(4) The floors of all places in which biscuit placing or glost placing is carried on shall:—

(a) be impervious floors of brick, flag or similar hard material;

(b) be kept in good repair; and

(c) be thoroughly cleaned by a moist method whenever the work of setting in an oven has ceased, and in any case at least once on any day on which biscuit placing or glost placing is done.

(5) Except in the case of a leadless glaze factory, the floors of all places where dipping, drying after dipping or ware-cleaning is done shall:—

(a) be impervious floors;

(b) be maintained in such condition that they can be readily and thoroughly cleaned by washing; and

(c) be thoroughly washed daily.

(6) The floors of all places where dipping, drying after dipping or ware-cleaning is done shall, if the room was erected after the 2nd January, 1913, or if the floor is constructed or reconstructed after the commencement of these Regulations, be properly sloped towards a drain.

(7) The washing and cleaning of floors and removal of clay required by sub-paragraphs (c), (d), (e) and (f) of paragraph (3) and by paragraph (5) of this Regulation shall be carried out by adult males nominated by the occupier for the purpose.

(8) Any steam pipes or other means of heating in drying-rooms or stoves or other places where pottery articles are left to dry shall, if installed after the commencement of these Regulations, and in any case after the expiry of five years from such commencement, be so arranged that they do not interfere with the cleaning of the floor.

(9) Stillages and shelves in any room or place specifically mentioned in any of the foregoing paragraphs of this Regulation shall not be so arranged as to impede the thorough cleaning of the floor underneath them.

(10) The floors of all workrooms or parts of workrooms not specifically mentioned in any of the foregoing paragraphs of this Regulation shall be maintained in such condition that they can be thoroughly cleaned by a moist method or with vacuum cleaning apparatus and shall be so cleaned daily.

(11) The foregoing requirements as to the daily cleaning of floors shall not apply to those parts of floors on or immediately above which pottery articles are necessarily left overnight, but adequate arrangements shall be made for the cleaning of such parts of the floors as soon as the articles are removed.

(12) The requirements of sub-paragraph (b) of paragraph (3) of this Regulation, and so much of the requirements of sub-paragraph (d) of paragraph (3) as relates to the weekly washing or mopping with water of impervious floors, shall not apply to the floors of rooms in which sanitary fireclay ware is dried by heat arising from the floor or from pipes near the floor.

(13) In the case of a slip-house where, at the commencement of these Regulations, the requirements of paragraph (1) of this Regulation as to the construction of the floor (including the requirements of sub-paragraph (a)) are not complied with, the Chief Inspector may be certificate temporarily exempt that slip-house from the application of those requirements if he is satisfied that, at the date of the certificate, the occupier of the factory has taken all reasonable steps towards ensuring compliance with the requirements but that such compliance has not become practicable.