Factories Act, 1955

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Interpretation of “factory.”

3.—(1) Subject to the provisions of this section, in this Act “factory” means any premises in which, or within the close or curtilage or precincts of which, persons are employed in manual labour in any process for or incidental to any of the following purposes:

(a) the making of any article or of part of any article,

(b) the altering, repairing, ornamenting, finishing, cleaning or washing, or the breaking up or demolition, of any article,

(c) the adapting for sale of any article,

being premises in which, or within the close or curtilage or precincts of which, the work is carried on by way of trade or for purposes of gain and to or over which the employer of the persons employed therein has the right of access or control;

And (whether or not they are factories by reason of the foregoing definition) in this Act “factory” also includes the following premises in which persons are employed in manual labour:

(i) any yard or dry dock (including the precincts thereof) in which ships or vessels are constructed, reconstructed, repaired, refitted, finished or broken up,

(ii) any premises in which the business of sorting any articles is carried on as a separate business, as a preliminary to the work carried on in any factory or incidentally to the purposes of any factory,

(iii) any premises in which the business of washing or filling bottles or containers or packing articles is carried on as a separate business or incidentally to the purposes of any factory,

(iv) any premises in which the business of hooking, plaiting, lapping, making-up or packing of yarn or cloth is carried on,

(v) any laundry carried on as ancillary to another business, or incidentally to the purposes of any public institution,

(vi) any premises in which the construction, reconstruction or repair of locomotives, vehicles or other plant for use for transport purposes is carried on as ancillary to a transport undertaking, or other industrial or commercial undertaking, not being any premises used for the purpose of housing locomotives or vehicles where only cleaning, washing, running repairs or minor adjustments are carried out and in which persons are not employed on a full-time basis in such cleaning, washing, repairing and adjusting,

(vii) any premises in which printing by letterpress, lithography, photogravure, or other similar process, or bookbinding is carried on by way of trade or for purposes of gain or incidentally to another business so carried on,

(viii) any premises in which the making, adaptation or repair of dresses, scenery or properties is carried on incidentally to the production, exhibition or presentation by way of trade or for purposes of gain of cinematograph films or theatrical performances, not being a stage or dressing room of a theatre in which only occasional adaptations or repairs are made,

(ix) any premises in which the business of making or mending nets is carried on incidentally to the fishing industry,

(x) any premises in which mechanical power is used in connection with the making or repair of articles of metal or wood incidentally to any business carried on by way of trade or for purposes of gain,

(xi) any premises in which the production of cinematograph films is carried on by way of trade or for purposes of gain, so, however, that the employment at any such premises of theatrical performers and of attendants on theatrical performers shall not be deemed to be employment in a factory,

(xii) any premises in which articles are made or prepared incidentally to the carrying on of building operations or works of engineering construction, not being premises in which such operations or works are being carried on,

(xiii) any premises used for the storage of gas in a gasholder having a storage capacity of not less than five thousand cubic feet,

(xiv) any premises in which the business of flax scutching is carried on,

(xv) any premises in which the business of plucking fowl is carried on,

(xvi) any premises in which the business of testing, grading or packing eggs is carried on,

(xvii) any premises in which pigs are killed for the purposes of a bacon factory,

(xviii) any premises in which cattle or sheep are killed for packing.

(2) Any line or siding (not being part of a railway or tramway) which is used in connection with and for the purposes of a factory shall be deemed for the purposes of this Act to be part of the factory, but if any such line or siding is used in connection with more than one factory belonging to different occupiers, the line or siding shall be deemed to be a separate factory.

(3) A part of a factory may, with the approval in writing of the Minister, be taken to be a separate factory and two or more factories may, with the like approval, be taken to be a single factory.

(4) Any workplace in which, with the permission of or under agreement with the owner or occupier, two or more persons carry on any work which would constitute the workplace a factory if the persons working therein were in the employment of the owner or occupier, shall be deemed for the purposes of this Act to be a factory and, in the case of any such workplace not being a multiple factory or part of a multiple factory, this Act shall apply as if the owner or occupier of the workplace were the occupier of the factory and the persons working therein were persons employed in the factory.

(5) Premises in or adjacent to and belonging to a quarry or mine being premises in which the only process carried on is a process ancillary to the getting, dressing or preparation for sale of minerals shall be deemed for the purposes of this Act not to be a factory.

(6) Where a place situate within the close, curtilage or precincts forming a factory is solely used for some purpose other than the processes carried on in the factory, that place shall be deemed for the purposes of this Act not to form part of the factory, but shall, if otherwise it would be a factory, be deemed to be a separate factory.

(7) Premises shall not be excluded from the definition for the purposes of this Act of a factory by reason only that they are open-air premises.

(8) Where the Minister by regulations so directs as respects all or any purposes of this Act, different branches or departments of work carried on in the same factory shall be deemed to be separate factories.

(9) Premises belonging to or in the occupation of the State or any local or other public authority shall not be regarded as not being a factory for the purposes of this Act, and building operations or works of engineering construction undertaken by or on behalf of the State or any such authority shall not be excluded from the operation of this Act, by reason only that the work carried on thereat is not carried on by way of trade or for purposes of gain.