S.I. No. 192/1968:

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT (MECHANICAL HANDLING EQUIPMENT) (EXCLUSION) REGULATIONS, 1968.

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT (MECHANICAL HANDLING EQUIPMENT) (EXCLUSION) REGULATIONS, 1968.

I, P. S. Ó h-IRIGHILE, Minister for Labour, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by sections 29 and 52 of the Conditions of Employment Act, 1936 (No. 2 of 1936), and the Labour (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order, 1966 ( S.I. No. 164 of 1966 ), and after consultation with representatives of employers interested in the form of industrial work specified in the following regulations and with representatives of workers so interested, hereby make the following regulations:--

1. These Regulations may be cited as the Conditions of Employment (Mechanical Handling Equipment) (Exclusion) Regulations, 1968.

2. The Interpretation Act, 1937 (No. 38 of 1937), applies to these Regulations.

3. The following form of industrial work, namely, welding, drilling (including all shop-work), cutting, assembling and spray-finishing, in connection with fork trucks and pallet trucks, is hereby declared to be excluded industrial work for the purpose of section 34 of the Conditions of Employment Act, 1936 (No. 2 of 1936).

4. The following provisions shall have effect in relation to the hours of work worked by workers employed to do the industrial work specified in these Regulations :

(a) no shift work shall be longer than 10½ hours in duration;

(b) no worker shall work on two consecutive shifts;

(c) no worker shall work on any shift unless at least eight hours have elapsed since he worked on a previous shift;

(d) no worker shall work for so many hours in any work that the average number of hours per week worked by him in any three consecutive weeks would exceed forty-eight;

(e) every worker shall be allowed at least fifteen minutes rest in each shift not less than three and not more than four hours after the commencement of such shift but shall not be entitled to leave the premises of the employer during such period of rest without the permission of the employer;

(f) no such worker shall be permitted to work on such shift work in such a manner as to contravene any condition contained in the licence under section 37 of the said Conditions of Employment Act, 1936 , authorising such shift work.

GIVEN under my Official Seal, this 10th day of September, 1968.

(Sgd.) P. S. Ó h-IRIGHILE,

Minister for Labour.

EXPLANATORY NOTE.

The purpose of these Regulations is to permit workers to work shifts of longer duration than is provided for in the Conditions of Employment Act, 1936 , in welding, drilling (all machine shop work) cutting assembly and spray finishing, (fork trucks and pallet trucks).