Health Protection Agency (HPA) has issued a new regulation prohibiting children and pregnant women from entering fiber workshops while enforcing strict health and safety standards for such facilities.
The regulation aims to protect public health, the environment, and workers from exposure to harmful substances used in fiber-related work.
It also outlines responsibilities for fiber workshop owners and the penalties for non compliance.
If fiber work is conducted in non designated areas such as residential zones, land plots, or harbors, approval must be obtained from the island council based on an HPA health and safety inspection.
Workshops must be designed to ensure the safety of workers, with adequate ventilation systems and secure chemical storage.
Proper waste disposal of fiber waste, fiber scraps and dust, and chemical waste must be handled safely in compliance with waste management regulations. The regulation states that the responsibility for ensuring safe disposal lies with the workshop owner.
In addition, workshops must provide employees with essential facilities such as hand-washing stations, toilets, bathing areas, and designated changing spaces.
Workers are required to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) at all times, and it is the responsibility of the owner to enforce this rule. Smoking, eating, and food storage are strictly prohibited within fiber workspaces to minimize exposure to hazardous substances.
The regulation also mandates the display of specific safety signs within the workshop, including:
- No Smoking boards
- No Eating or Drinking boards
- Emergency contact numbers
- Fire exit indicators
- Children and Pregnant Women Not Allowed boards
- Authorized Personnel Only boards
- Dangerous Chemicals boards
HPA has the authority to shut down workshops if they pose a health or environmental risk and reopen them once in compliance.
Businesses have six months to comply with the new standards, and violations of the regulation can result in fines of up to MVR 2,000.