### Factories and Industrial Undertakings (Work in Compressed Air) Regulations 《工廠及工業經營(在壓縮空氣中工作)規例》

21. Medical locks
(1) Subject to paragraph (2), where persons are employed in compressed air in a working chamber at a pressure exceeding 14 pounds per square inch, a suitably constructed medical lock shall be provided and maintained.
(2) Where more than 100 persons are so employed at a construction site, a medical lock shall be provided for every 100 persons or part thereof.
(3) Every medical lock shall be situated as near as possible to the man-lock.
(4) Every medical lock shall—
(a) have not less than 6 feet clear headroom at its highest point;
(b) have 2 compartments so that it can be entered while under pressure;
(c) have efficient means of verbal communication and means of giving non-verbal signals, between persons inside and outside the medical lock and between persons in compartments of the medical lock;
(d) have one or more windows through which any person in either compartment of the medical lock can be observed from the outside;
(e) be adequately ventilated;
(f) be protected from the weather and the sun;
(g) have adequate lighting and heating and the heating system shall be controlled thermostatically or manually.
(5) The wirings of the lighting and heating systems of a medical lock shall be of mineral insulated copper cable, complying with the British Standard 6207 or equivalent standard, and the systems shall be such that there is no fire hazard.
(6) Every medical lock shall be provided with suitable equipment including—
(a) a pressure recording gauge, which shall be accurate to within half a pound per square inch and the recording on the chart shall be as approved by the Commissioner;
(b) if a circular recording chart is used it shall rotate at a speed of not less than once in 4 hours;
(c) a couch not less than 6 feet in length;
(d) blankets and dry garments;
(e) a water type (gas expelled) fire extinguisher and 2 buckets of dry sand for fire fighting; and
(f) a food and hot drinks cupboard space.
(7) Every medical lock and its equipment shall be maintained in a clean state.
(8) A chemical closet shall be provided in every medical lock and shall be regularly serviced.
(9) All furniture and equipment in a medical lock shall be of incombustible or fire proofed material and all bedding and other furnishings shall be treated so as to be fire retardant.
(10) A medical lock shall be capable of withstanding a pressure of not less than 10 pounds per square inch above the maximum pressure used or likely to be used in the working chamber at any time.
(11) The temperature in a medical lock, when in use, shall not fall below 10 oC, nor rise above 27 oC, for more than 5 consecutive minutes.
(L.N. 161 of 1978)

### Factories and Industrial Undertakings (Work in Compressed Air) Regulations 《工廠及工業經營(在壓縮空氣中工作)規例》

22. Use of medical locks
(1) A medical lock shall not be used for any purpose other than a therapeutic purpose:
Provided that this paragraph shall not apply where a medical lock is used—
(a) for the training and testing of persons without previous experience of compressed air work; or
(b) in case of an emergency.

(2) A medical lock shall, at all times, be kept ready for immediate use.

23. Medical lock attendants
(1) Every medical lock shall be under the charge of a medical lock attendant and the medical lock attendant shall be in attendance at the medical lock—
(a) whilst any person is employed in compressed air at a pressure exceeding 14 pounds per square inch;
(b) whilst any person is being treated in the medical lock;
(c) for 24 hours after the last man-lock decompression from a pressure exceeding 14 pounds per square inch has taken place.
(2) A medical lock attendant shall, when on duty, have immediate access to all records of pressures and other relevant information regarding conditions in the man-lock and working chamber.
(3) A medical lock attendant shall—
(a) be a person trained in first aid as defined in regulation 55 of the Construction Sites (Safety) Regulations (Cap. 59 sub. leg.);
(b) have completed a suitable training course designed to familiarize him with the problems associated with compression, decompression and decompression sickness and with the keeping of records under these regulations;
(c) be medically fit; and
(d) be willing to go into compressed air at any working pressure.
(4) There shall be not less than 3 medical lock attendants available for duty in respect of each medical lock.
(5) No medical lock attendant shall be on duty for more than 12 hours in any 1 shift.

### Factories and Industrial Undertakings (Work in Compressed Air) Regulations 《工廠及工業經營(在壓縮空氣中工作)規例》

24. Appointment of medical practitioners by contractors
(1) Subject to regulation 25, where any construction work in compressed air is carried out, the contractor shall appoint a medical practitioner to supervise all medical matters which may arise in connexion with the construction work.
(2) The contractor shall notify the Commissioner in writing of the name and address of any medical practitioner appointed under paragraph (1).
(3) An appointed medical practitioner shall be—
(a) conversant with the problems associated with work in compressed air and the medical aspects of such work;
(b) conversant with the provisions of these regulations;
(c) medically fit;
(d) willing to go into compressed air at any working pressure; and
(e) on call at all times when construction work in compressed air is in progress.
(4) The duties of an appointed medical practitioner shall be—
(a) to examine medically persons for fitness for employment in compressed air;
(b) to supervise medical lock attendants;
(c) to treat decompression sickness and other conditions; and
(d) to supervise the keeping of—
(i) the compressed air workers’ medical cards in Form 3 of the Fourth Schedule;
(ii) the compressed air workers’ decompression sickness case sheets in Form 4 of the Fourth Schedule; and
(iii) the compressed air workers’ individual records in Form 5 of the Fourth Schedule.

25. Appointment of medical practitioner by employers other than contractors
(1) Where a contractor is not the employer of a person employed or proposed to be employed in compressed air the employer shall appoint a medical practitioner to examine medically such person for fitness for such employment.
(2) The employer shall notify the Commissioner in writing of the name and address of any medical practitioner appointed under paragraph (1).
(3) The medical practitioner appointed under paragraph (1) shall be deemed to be the appointed medical practitioner for the purposes of regulations 26, 27(1) and (2) and 28.