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Back to Article 153 Table of Contents Group 26. DIVING AND PRESSURIZED WORKSITE OPERATIONS
ARTICLE 154. PRESSURIZED WORKSITE OPERATIONS
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(2) No employee shall be permitted to enter a compressed air environment until qualified by a physician in accordance with Section 6053.
(3) An oxygen tolerance test shall be passed by
all persons engaged in compressed air work.
(4) In the event an employee
is absent from work for 10 or more consecutive days the employee shall be determined
to be medically fit to resume compressed air work by the physician.
(5) Medical records shall be kept as required by applicable parts of Section 6058.
(b) Except when the air pressure in the working chamber is below 14
psig a medical chamber shall be established and maintained in immediate working
order. The medical chamber shall:
(1) Have at least six feet of clear headroom at the center, and be subdivided into not less than two compartments.
(2) Be readily accessible to employees working under compressed air.
(3) Be kept ready for immediate use for at least five hours subsequent to the
emergence of any employee from the working chamber.
(4) Be properly
heated, lighted and ventilated.
(5) Be maintained in a sanitary condition.
(6) Have a non-shatterable port through which the occupant(s) may
be kept under constant observation.
(7) Be constructed and tested
in accordance with the Unfired Pressure Vessel Safety Orders; the medical lock
shall be retested whenever it has been out of service for more than 1 year and
whenever it is moved from one location to another.
(8) Be designed
for a working pressure of 75 psig.
(9) Be equipped with internal controls
which may be overridden by external controls.
(10) Be provided with
air pressure gauges to show the air pressure within each compartment to observers
inside and outside the medical chamber.
(11) Be equipped with a quick
acting automatic sprinkler system.
(12) Be provided with oxygen lines
and fittings leading into external tanks. The lines shall be fitted with check
valves to prevent reverse flow.
(13) Be in constant charge of an attendant
under the direct control of the retained physician. The attendant shall be trained
in the use of the chamber and suitably instructed regarding steps to be taken
in the treatment of employees exhibiting symptoms compatible with a diagnosis
of decompression sickness.
(14) Be located adjacent to an emergency
medical facility. The emergency medical facility shall be equipped, as required
by the retained physician, with approved demand type oxygen inhalation equipment.
(15) Be capable of being maintained at a temperature, in use, not
to exceed 90 degrees Fahrenheit nor be less than 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
(16) Be provided with sources of oil free air, both normal and emergency, which
are capable of raising the air pressure in the chamber from 0 to 75 psig in five
minutes.
(c) Identification badges shall be furnished to all employees,
indicating that the wearer is a compressed air worker. The badge shall give employee's
name, address of the medical chamber, the phone number of the licensed physician
for the compressed air project, and contain instructions that in case of an emergency
of unknown or doubtful cause or illness, the wearer shall be rushed to the medical
chamber. The badge shall be worn at all times off the job as well as on the job.
Note: Authority cited: Section 142.3, Labor Code. Reference: Section 142.3, Labor
Code.
HISTORY
1. New section filed 4-4-2006; operative
5-4-2006 (Register 2006, No. 14).
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