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3 1958

OFFICE PREMISES ACT, 1958

PART II.

Health.

Cleanliness.

8. —(1) Every office shall be kept in a clean state and, without prejudice to the foregoing provision—

(a) accumulations of dirt, refuse, trade refuse and waste shall be removed daily by a suitable method from all rooms, staircases and passages,

(b) the floors shall be cleaned at least once in every week by washing or, if it is effective and suitable, by sweeping or other method.

(2) In fulfilling, on an occasion when work is in progress, the requirements of subsection (1), the methods used shall, so far as is reasonably practicable, be such as not to give rise to dust.

(3) The Minister may, after consultation with the Minister for Health, make regulations modifying the provisions of this section or prescribing further requirements as to cleanliness and, in particular, without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, requirements as to the cleaning, painting, whitewashing or colourwashing of inside walls, partitions, ceilings or tops of rooms, and the walls, sides and tops of passages and staircases.

Overcrowding.

9. —(1) An office shall not, while work is carried on, be so overcrowded as to cause risk of injury to the health of the persons employed therein.

(2) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1), an office shall be deemed to be so overcrowded as to cause risk of injury to the health of persons employed therein if the number of persons employed at a time in any room is such that the amount of space allowed for every person employed in the room is less than such amount as may be prescribed in regulations made by the Minister, after consultation with the Minister for Health, for offices or for any class or description of office.

Temperature.

10. —(1) Effective provision shall be made for securing and maintaining a reasonable temperature in each room, but no method shall be employed which results in the escape into the air of any room of any fume of such character and to such extent as to be likely to be injurious or offensive to persons employed therein.

(2) The Minister, after consultation with the Minister for Health, may, by regulations for offices or for any class or description of office or parts thereof, prescribe a standard of reasonable temperature and prohibit the use of any methods of maintaining a reasonable temperature which, in his opinion, are likely to be injurious to the persons employed, and direct that thermometers shall be provided and maintained in such places and position as may be specified.

Ventilation.

11. —(1) Effective and suitable provision shall be made for securing and maintaining by the circulation of fresh air in each room the adequate ventilation of the room and for preventing harmful draughts.

(2) The Minister, after consultation with the Minister for Health, may, by regulations, prescribe a standard of adequate ventilation for offices or for any class or description of office or parts thereof.

Lighting.

12. —(1) Effective provision shall be made for securing and maintaining sufficient and suitable lighting, whether natural or artificial, in every part of an office in which persons are working or passing.

(2) The Minister, after consultation with the Minister for Health, may, by regulations, prescribe a standard of sufficient and suitable lighting for offices or for any class or description of office or parts thereof or for any kind of clerical work.

(3) All glazed windows and skylights used for the lighting of rooms shall, so far as practicable, be kept clean on both the inner and outer surfaces and free from obstruction.

(4) Subsection (3) shall not affect the whitewashing or shading of windows and skylights for the purposes of mitigating heat or glare or the reasonable use of protective or translucent screens.

(5) So far as is reasonably practicable arrangements shall be made so that there is not, by reason of—

(a) the brightness of the light, or

(b) unsuitable shading, or

(c) unsuitable placing of light sources or positions of work,

discomfort or injury from glare or from reflection of light into the eyes of the worker.

Sanitary conveniences.

13. —(1) Sufficient and suitable sanitary conveniences for the persons employed in an office shall be provided, maintained and kept clean.

(2) The Minister may, after consultation with the Minister for Health, make regulations determining for offices or for any class or description of office what is sufficient and suitable provision for the purposes of this section.

Unsuitable rooms.

14. —(1) Clerical work shall not be carried on in any room which is certified by the enforcing authority to be unsuitable for the purpose as regards construction, height, light or ventilation, or on any hygienic ground, or on the ground that adequate means of escape in case of fire are not provided.

(2) Where the enforcing authority certifies under subsection (1) as unsuitable any room which is in actual use, the authority shall suspend the operation of the certificate for such period as the authority considers reasonable with a view to enabling the room to be rendered suitable or enabling the occupier to obtain other premises and the authority shall serve a copy of the certificate and notice of any suspension thereof on the occupier and the owner.

(3) If the occupier or owner is aggrieved by any decision of the enforcing authority under this section—

(a) he may, within twenty-one days of the date of issue of the certificate, appeal by way of complaint to the District Court,

(b) pending the final determination of an appeal against a decision under subsection (1) in the case of a room in actual use, no offence shall be deemed to be committed by reference to that subsection in respect of the room to which the appeal relates,

(c) the decision of the Court shall in all cases be binding on the occupier, the owner and the enforcing authority.

Application of Part VI of Shops (Conditions of Employment) Act, 1938, to clerical workers.

15. —Part VI of the Shops (Conditions of Employment) Act, 1938 (No. 4 of 1938), shall apply to persons employed on clerical work in or in connection with a shop, as if they were employed to do shop work.

Health regulations.

16. —(1) Where the Minister is satisfied that any material, substance, process or description of work, used in offices, is of such a nature as to cause risk of injury to the health of persons employed,

or any class of those persons, he may, after consultation with the Minister for Health make such regulations as appear to him to be reasonably practicable and to meet the necessity of the case.

(2) Regulations under this section may, among other things—

(a) prohibit the employment of, or modify or limit the hours of employment of, all persons or any class of persons in connection with any process or description of work,

(b) prohibit, limit or control the use and storage of any material or substance, or the use of any process,

(c) modify with respect to any class or description of office any provisions of this Act imposing requirements as to health or safety,

(d) impose duties on owners, employed persons and other persons as well as on occupiers.

(3) Regulations under this section may apply to all offices in which the material, substance, process or description of work is used or to any specified class or description of such offices, and may provide for the exemption of any specified class or description of office either absolutely or subject to conditions.