### 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》

3. Interpretation
(1) In these regulations, unless the context otherwise requires—
“appointed medical practitioner” (指定醫生) means a medical practitioner appointed under regulation 24;
“compressed air” (壓縮空氣) means air mechanically raised to a pressure higher than atmospheric pressure;
“construction site” (建築地盤) means a place where construction work in compressed air is carried out and also any area in the immediate vicinity of any such place which is used for the storage of materials or plant used or intended to be used for the purpose of the construction work;
“decant lock” (覆壓減壓室) means a double compartment lock, other than a medical lock, used for the recompression and decompression of persons;
“decanting” (覆壓減壓) means the rapid decompression of persons in a man-lock to atmospheric pressure followed promptly by their recompression in a decant lock, where they are then decompressed according to the appropriate Decompression Table in the Third Schedule;
“employer” (僱主) means any person who has entered into a contract of employment to employ any other person as an employee and the duly authorized agent, manager or factor of such first mentioned person;
“lock attendant” (氣壓調節室管理員) means the person in charge of a man-lock or decant lock and who is immediately responsible for controlling the compression, recompression or decompression of persons employed in compressed air;
“man-lock” (員工氣壓調節室) means any lock, other than a medical lock or decant lock, used for the compression or decompression of persons entering or leaving a working chamber;
“medical lock” (高壓醫療室) means a double compartment lock, other than a decant lock, used for the therapeutic recompression and decompression of persons suffering from the ill-effects of decompression;
“new starter” (新人) means a person—
(a) who has not at any time been employed in compressed air; or
(b) who, having been previously employed in compressed air, has not been re-employed in compressed air for a period exceeding 14 consecutive days;

“pressure” (氣壓) means air pressure in pounds per square inch above atmospheric pressure;
“working chamber” (氣壓施工室) means the part of the construction site where construction work in compressed air is carried out, but does not include a man-lock, medical lock or decant lock;
“working pressure” (施工氣壓) means pressure to which persons in a working chamber are exposed.
(2) For the purposes of these regulations, a person shall be deemed to be employed in compressed air if he is exposed to pressure for the purposes of or in connexion with any construction work.

### 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》

4. Construction and maintenance of bulkheads, etc.
Every bulkhead, air lock or other structure used in connexion with construction work in compressed air shall be of good construction, sound material and adequate strength and shall be properly maintained.
(L.N. 161 of 1978)

5. Supervision of compressed air operations
(1) Where a contractor carries out any construction work in compressed air, the contractor shall appoint a person who has substantial training and practical experience in such construction work to be in charge of the construction work.
(2) A person appointed under paragraph (1) shall, at all times when any person is employed in compressed air at a construction site, be—
(a) in charge of the construction work; and
(b) in attendance on the construction site.

6. Air supply plant
(1) The air supply plant for the production and supply of compressed air to any man-lock, working chamber, medical lock or decant lock shall be of suitable design.
(2) The contractor shall appoint a suitably qualified or experienced person to be in charge of the air supply plant at a construction site.
(3) A person appointed under paragraph (2) shall, at all times when any person is employed in compressed air at a construction site, be—
(a) in charge of the air supply plant; and
(b) in attendance on the construction site.
(L.N. 161 of 1978)

7. Air supply
(1) The compressed air supplied to any man-lock, working chamber, medical lock or decant lock shall conform to the specifications in the First Schedule or such other specifications as may be approved by the Commissioner in writing.
(2) The supply of compressed air to a working chamber shall be sufficient to provide, at the pressure in the working chamber, not less than 10 cubic feet per minute per person in the working chamber.
(3) A reserve compressed air supply shall be available for the medical lock.
(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》

9. Use of man-locks
When the pressure in a working chamber exceeds 14 pounds per square inch—
(a) the man-lock shall, subject to paragraph (b), be used solely for the compression or decompression of persons;
(b) where it is not reasonably practicable to provide a separate man-lock for persons only, the single man-lock giving access to the working chamber shall not be used simultaneously for the compression or decompression of persons and the passage of plant or material other than tools or instruments carried by hand by persons for the purposes of the construction work:
Provided that in the case of an emergency a single man-lock may be used simultaneously for the compression or decompression of persons and the passage of plant or material, and where the man-lock is so used the contractor shall keep a record signed by him of such use and particulars of the emergency;
(c) a ‘blister’ type man-lock shall be used for timed decompression only when the total decompression time does not exceed 20 minutes.

10. Man-lock attendants
(1) Every man-lock shall, whilst any person is employed in compressed air in the man-lock or in a working chamber to which the man-lock affords direct or indirect access, be under the charge of a lock attendant and the lock attendant shall be in attendance at the man-lock at all such times.
(2) Where persons are employed in compressed air at a pressure exceeding 14 pounds per square inch—
(a) the lock attendant in charge shall be a person who has 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; and
(b) there shall be not less than 3 lock attendants available for duty in respect of each man-lock.
(3) No 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》

11. Duties of lock attendants
(1) The lock attendant in charge of a man-lock shall—
(a) control the compression of all persons in the man-lock;
(b) carry out the compression of all such persons according to the compression procedure prescribed in the Second Schedule;
(c) control the decompression of all persons who have been employed in compressed air; and
(d) where a person has been employed in compressed air at a pressure exceeding 14 pounds per square inch, carry out the decompression of that person according to the decompression procedure prescribed in the Third Schedule.
(2) Where any person is employed in compressed air in a working chamber, the lock attendant in charge shall—
(a) record in the lock attendant’s register in Form 1 of the Fourth Schedule all the particulars specified therein in respect of that person; and
(b) keep in his custody the lock attendant’s register and any man-lock decompression chart and give them to the person appointed under regulation 5(1).
(3) Where a person is employed in compressed air at a pressure exceeding 14 pounds per square inch on more than 1 occasion in any 12-hour period, the lock attendant in charge shall ensure that such person carries a properly completed compressed air worker’s transfer record in Form 2 of the Fourth Schedule.
(4) The contractor and the person appointed under regulation 5(1) shall ensure that the lock attendant in charge of a man-lock complies with paragraphs (1), (2) and (3).