The Pottery (Health and Welfare) Special Regulations 1950

Prohibition of employment of women and young persons in certain processes

6.—(1) No woman or young person shall be employed or work in the following processes:—

(i) the stopping of biscuit ware with material which yields to dilute hydrochloric acid more than five per cent. of its dry weight of a soluble lead compound calculated as lead monoxide when determined in the manner described in the definition of low solubility glaze;

(ii) the weighing out, shovelling or mixing of unfritted lead compounds in the preparation or manufacture of frits, glazes or colours;

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

(iv) the washing of saggars with a wash which yields to dilute hydrochloric acid more than five per cent. of its dry weight of a soluble lead compound calculated as lead monoxide when determined in the manner described in the definition of low solubility glaze;

(v) the cleaning of boards used in any place where dipping, drying after dipping, ware-cleaning or glost placing is done, except in the case of a leadless glaze factory;

(vi) the cleaning of mangles or any part thereof, except in a leadless glaze factory;

(vii) the cleaning or scraping of floors of potters' shops or drying stoves or of any place in which any scheduled process is carried on, but the occasional picking or scraping up of a piece of clay or other material shall not be deemed to be cleaning or scraping for this purpose;

(viii) the grinding of clay dust;

(ix) the wedging of clay;

(x) wheel turning for a thrower;

(xi) flint or quartz milling.

(2) (a) No woman or young person shall be employed to load, carry or unload clay, clay dust or clay scraps, except that, without prejudice to paragraph (7) of this Regulation:—

(i) a woman or young person may load, carry or unload clay scraps made by that woman or young person or by the maker for whom that woman or young person is working, provided that no such carrying is done to any point more than 50 yards from the place where the scraps were made and the total weight of the scraps and the container in which they are being carried does not exceed 40 lbs.; and

(ii) a woman or a young person who has attained the age of sixteen may carry damp clay for the use of a thrower for whom that woman or young person is employed as an assistant, if the carrying is done from a point not more than 50 yards from the thrower's place of work and on the same floor level and if the total weight of the clay and any container in which it is being carried does not exceed 40 lbs.

(b) For the purposes of sub-paragraph (a) of this paragraph the transfer of clay or clay scraps between the surface of a work-bench and the surface of a conveyor adjacent to the work-bench shall not be deemed to be loading or unloading.

(3) No young person shall be employed or work:—

(i) in any process included in Part I of the First Schedule to these Regulations; or

(ii) as a wheel turner at a press for pressing tiles.

(4) No young person under sixteen years of age shall be employed or work in any process included in Part II of the First Schedule to these Regulations.

(5) No girl under sixteen years of age shall be employed or work as a lathe treader.

(6) A woman shall not be employed:—

(a) to lift or carry by herself any saggar or saggars if the weight thereof, including the contents, exceeds 30 lbs.;

(b) to lift or carry in conjunction with any other person any saggar or saggars if the weight thereof, including the contents, exceeds 50 lbs.;

(c) either by herself or in conjunction with any other person, so to raise or stack any saggar or saggars that the bottom of any of the saggars is more than four feet six inches above the floor level:

Provided that the maximum weights specified in sub-paragraphs (a) and (b) of this paragraph may be increased to 50 lbs. and 80 lbs. respectively if the saggar or saggars are moved a total distance of not more than six feet from one part of a work-bench either to an adjacent part of the same work-bench, or to an adjacent stand or conveyor, on approximately the same level.

(7) Without prejudice to the provisions of subsection (1) of Section 56 of the principal Act (which provides that a young person shall not be employed to lift, carry or move any load so heavy as to be likely to cause injury to him) a young person shall not be employed in lifting or carrying work, except in the lifting or carrying of a weight not exceeding 20 lbs., unless there is a certificate of the Appointed Doctor entered in the Health Register referred to in paragraph (1) of Regulation 8 specifying the maximum weight which that young person may lift or carry, and the young person shall not be employed to lift or carry any weight in excess of that specified in the certificate:

Provided that the Appointed Doctor may at any time revoke or modify any such certificate or attach thereto a condition that the young person shall be re-examined by the Appointed Doctor after such interval as may be specified therein.