198323-1933-Regulations-under-section-4-1-of-the-Factories-and-Workshops-Ordinance-1932-relating-to-fire-precautions-in-Factories-and-Workships- — Page 2

THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, OCTOBER 6, 1933.

Precautions in New Factories.

3. Every new factory shall be erected in accordance with plans expressly approved by the Building Authority. The plans shall incorporate full constructional details showing the thickness of party and fire walls, floors, and other structures.

4. Each room or space in a new factory shall be efficiently ventilated. Any lift or goods hoist and any belt drive openings shall be protected to guard against the communication of fire as the Protector may deem necessary.

Precautions in Tenement Factories and Workshops.

5. The Protector may require that any existing Tenement factory shall be provided with an enclosed concrete stairway with fire resisting self-closing doors on each landing, and that the stairway shall be carried in concrete to the top floor and continued either in concrete or in iron to the roof. He may also require the provision of a protected route to neighbouring buildings, or such other alternative means of escape as he may approve. In the case of a factory extending laterally more than two house spaces on either side of the aforesaid enclosed concrete stairway he may require an alternative means of egress from each floor affected.

6. No Tenement factory or workshop shall be situated on the upper floors of a building where the ground floor is licensed for the storage of dangerous goods, unless the dangerous goods are housed in a structure effectively cut off, to the satisfaction of the Protector and of the Chief Officer of the Fire Brigade, by fire resisting material from direct communication with the factory or workshop.

General regulations.

7. In every factory and workshop the exit doors, giving on to a street or way, and doors giving access to stairways shall be constructed of fire resisting material. The doors shall open outward, or, in special cases when the open door would create an obstruction to egress, sliding doors may be permitted by the Protector. Doors other than such sliding doors shall be secured only by means of panic bolts whilst the employees are on the premises.

8.-(1) No factory building or part of a factory building shall extend to more than 250,000 cubic feet without being divided by 'division' or 'fire walls' in such a manner that no room or space exceeds the limit of 250,000 cubic feet, provided that under special circumstances the Protector may consent to a building being wholly or in part divided horizontally by floors, instead of being vertically divided by division or fire walls. Such division floors must be constructed to the satisfaction of the Building Authority.

(2) No opening shall be made in any 'division wall' or 'fire wall' opening up communication between two rooms or spaces, whereby the total capacity of the two rooms or spaces, if taken together, would exceed 250,000 cubic feet, unless such opening is fitted with fire-resisting doors to the satisfaction of the Protector.

(3) The Protector shall have power, where he is satisfied that the nature of the trade or industrial process carried on renders variations from the provisions of this regulation. necessary, to allow such variations as he may deem necessary in the circumstances.

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