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Finin2min Labour Law Guide

Chapter VI - Welfare

Reviewed by CA Nikhil Gupta · Last reviewed 15 September 2026

Use this chapter to apply chapter vi - welfare as an evidence-backed statutory workflow rather than a checklist label.

Current law: OSHWC Code, 2020; Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Central) Rules, 2026 (G.S.R. 345(E), 8 May 2026); State Rules/technical regulations must be checked where applicable.
Start here: Identify establishment type, worker category, appropriate Government, activity/hazard and contractor/migrant status before relying on a registration, licence, safety standard or working-condition rule.

Finin2min Summary - in 2 minutes

Who should use this chapter

  • Occupiers, employers, principal employers and contractors
  • Workers, safety committees and worker representatives
  • EHS, HR, plant, project and legal/compliance teams
  • Professionals and students tracing licence, welfare, safety and remedy controls

What to do first

  1. Freeze the event date, establishment/person status and jurisdiction.
  2. Identify the exact provision, Rule/form/notification and current source.
  3. Apply the factual test and calculation/decision sequence.
  4. Retain notice, approval, payment/filing and exception/remediation evidence.

Highest-risk failures

  • Wrong coverage or jurisdiction
  • Stale Rule/notification/form
  • Unsupported factual classification
  • Missing evidence, notice, limitation or approval

Practical scenario

A live compliance question is documented as a dated fact pattern, mapped to the exact provision and subordinate instrument, independently checked, implemented, and closed with evidence.

How to use the legal material below

The material below brings together the relevant statutory text or provision map, linked Rules/forms, practical explanation, evidence controls and remedies for this chapter. For a live matter, read the exact provision together with the Rule, form, notification and Central/State instrument that applies on the event date.

OSHWC Code, 2020 Welfare four-step compliance flowchart
Finin2min decision flow — identify the law, complete the statutory process and preserve evidence.

Section-by-section provision map

ProvisionSubjectImplementation focus
Section 24Welfare facilities in the establishment, etc.Trigger, linked Rule/form, evidence, consequence and remedy

Section 24: Welfare facilities in the establishment, etc.

Current statutory text

24. Welfare facilities in the establishment, etc.—(1) The employer shall be responsible to provide


and maintain in his establishment such welfare facilities for the employees as may be prescribed by the


Central Government, including,—





        (i) adequate and suitable facilities for washing to male and female employees separately;





        (ii) bathing places and locker rooms for male, female and transgender employees separately;





         (iii) place of keeping clothing not worn during working hours and for the drying of wet clothing;





       (iv) sitting arrangements for all employees obliged to work in a standing position;





       (v) facilities of canteen in an establishment for employees thereof, wherein one hundred or more


   workers including contract labourers are ordinarily employed;





       (vi) in case of mines, medical examination of the employees employed or to be employed in the


   mines, before their employment and at specific intervals;





        (vii) adequate first-aid boxes or cupboards with contents readily accessible during all working


   hours; and





        (viii) any other welfare measures which the Central Government considers, under the set of


   circumstances, as required for decent standard of life of the employees.





   (2) Without prejudice to the generality of the powers referred to under sub-section (1), the Central


Government may also prescribe for the following matters, namely:—





        (i) ambulance room in every factory, mine, building or other construction work wherein more than


   five hundred workers are ordinarily employed;











        (ii) medical facilities at the operating centres and halting stations, uniforms, raincoats and other like


   amenities for protection from rain or cold for motor transport workers;





         (iii) adequate, suitable and separate shelters or rest-rooms for male, female and transgender


   employees and lunch-room in every factory and mine wherein more than fifty workers are ordinarily


   employed and in motor transport undertaking wherein employee is required to halt at night;





       (iv) the appointment of welfare officer in every factory, mine or plantation wherein two hundred


   and fifty or more workers are ordinarily employed and the qualification, conditions of service and


   duties of such welfare officer;





       (v) for providing by the employer temporary living accommodation, free of charges and within the


  work site or as near to it as may be possible, to all building workers employed by him and for causing


   removal or demolition of such temporary living accommodation and for returning by the employer the


   possession of any land obtained by him for such purpose from Municipal Board or any other local


   authority;





       (vi) for payment by the principal employer the expenses incurred on providing the accommodation


   to the contractor, where the building or other construction work is done through the contractor;





        (vii) any other matter which may be prescribed.





   (3) The Central Government may make rules to provide for the facility of creche having suitable room


or rooms for the use of children under the age of six years of the employees at suitable location and


distance either separately or along with common facilities in establishments wherein more than fifty


workers are ordinarily employed:





   Provided that an establishment can avail common crèche facility of the Central Government, State


Government, municipality or private entity or provided by non-Governmental organisation or by any


other organisation or group of establishments may pool their resources for setting up of common crèche in


the manner as they may agree for such purpose.





                             CHAPTER VII





                    HOURS OF WORK AND ANNUAL LEAVE WITH WAGES

Finin2min clause-by-clause decode

  1. This page does not replace the statutory text. It separates the operative legal transaction into controls so that each subsection, proviso, exception and delegated instrument can be checked against the official India Code source before use.
  2. Classify the worker, shift, establishment and State/Central sphere before applying hours or welfare conditions.
  3. Determine the applicable worker threshold, sector and gender/age-related requirement.
  4. Map daily/weekly limits, spread-over, rest, consent, transport, security, leave and overtime requirements as applicable.
  5. Provide the facility at the required location, capacity, accessibility and operating hours.
  6. Configure roster, attendance and payroll controls so operational scheduling cannot bypass the statutory condition.
  7. Appoint trained personnel and maintain supplies, hygiene and emergency readiness.
  8. Retain worker consent/communication, risk assessment, facility records, inspections and payment evidence.
  9. Do not recover prohibited costs from workers; document service contracts and inspections.
  10. Provide a complaint and correction route and test State variations, exemption conditions and consequences.

Applicable Central Rules immediately below the provision

Central Rule 49: Rule 49 — Washing facility

Rule mapping is retained; read the official 2026 Gazette for the exact sub-rule text and forms.

Practical example

Controls and evidence

  • Employee/worker: retain contract, attendance, wage/benefit proof and communication.

Consequence, remedy and limitation

Mapped Rules: Rule 49, Rule 50, Rule 51, Rule 52, Rule 53, Rule 54, Rule 55, Rule 56, Rule 57, Rule 58, Rule 59, Rule 60, Rule 61, Rule 62, Rule 63 | Official source: section 24.

Rules, forms, registers, portals and due dates

RuleSubjectText/control status
49Rule 49 — Washing facilityVerify from official source
50Rule 50 — Provisions of bathing places and locker roomsVerify from official source
51Rule 51 — Keeping of cloth not worn during working hourVerify from official source
52Rule 52 — Sitting arrangementVerify from official source
53Rule 53 — Provision of CanteenVerify from official source
54Rule 54 — First Aid and Medical AppliancesVerify from official source
55Rule 55 — Ambulance RoomVerify from official source
56Rule 56 — Shelter and Rest RoomVerify from official source
57Rule 57 — Welfare OfficerVerify from official source
58Rule 58 — Crèche FacilityVerify from official source
59Rule 59 — Mock DrillsVerify from official source
60Rule 60 — Medical ExaminationVerify from official source
61Rule 61 — Residential facilities for workers including contract laboursVerify from official source
62Rule 62 — Living accommodationVerify from official source
63Rule 63 — Medical facilitiesVerify from official source

Forms and registers must be confirmed from the appended 2026 Central Rules and the live portal applicable to the appropriate Government. A form is not treated as current merely because an earlier law used the same number.

Notifications and effective-date history

ControlRequired action
EnactmentRecord Act number, assent and Gazette publication.
CommencementUse the provision-specific commencement notification; the four Codes became broadly operative from 21 November 2025 subject to earlier partial commencement and corrigenda.
Central RulesRead the applicable 2026 Central Rules from their Gazette date and verify subsequent amendments.
State instrumentCheck final State Rules, authority notifications, forms and rates where the State is appropriate Government.

Old-law/new-Code concordance

Predecessor lawTransition control
Factories Act, 1948Classify the event date, accrued right, saved Rule/notification and pending proceeding before moving to the Code.
Plantations Labour Act, 1951Classify the event date, accrued right, saved Rule/notification and pending proceeding before moving to the Code.
Mines Act, 1952Classify the event date, accrued right, saved Rule/notification and pending proceeding before moving to the Code.
Working Journalists lawsClassify the event date, accrued right, saved Rule/notification and pending proceeding before moving to the Code.
Motor Transport Workers Act, 1961Classify the event date, accrued right, saved Rule/notification and pending proceeding before moving to the Code.
Beedi and Cigar Workers Act, 1966Classify the event date, accrued right, saved Rule/notification and pending proceeding before moving to the Code.
Contract Labour Act, 1970Classify the event date, accrued right, saved Rule/notification and pending proceeding before moving to the Code.
Inter-State Migrant Workmen Act, 1979Classify the event date, accrued right, saved Rule/notification and pending proceeding before moving to the Code.
Cine-Workers Act, 1981Classify the event date, accrued right, saved Rule/notification and pending proceeding before moving to the Code.
Dock Workers Act, 1986Classify the event date, accrued right, saved Rule/notification and pending proceeding before moving to the Code.
BOCW Act, 1996Classify the event date, accrued right, saved Rule/notification and pending proceeding before moving to the Code.

Practical calculations and control file

Calculation sequence

  1. Freeze the employee/worker population and event date.
  2. Apply the statutory wage/benefit base and notified threshold.
  3. Reconcile attendance, service, payroll and contractor records.
  4. Calculate principal amount, interest/damages and any statutory compensation separately.
  5. Obtain legal/payroll approval and retain the versioned worksheet.

Three-owner sign-off

  • Employer/HR: facts, classification, communication and workflow.
  • Employee/worker: notice, records, nomination/claim and acknowledgement.
  • Professional: source, formula, forum, limitation and evidence reconciliation.

Binding and highly relevant case-law principles

Older cases are included for principles only. Their continued application must be tested against the current Code wording, repeal-and-savings clause and later judgments.
DecisionPrinciple and present-use caution
Consumer Education and Research Centre v. Union of IndiaWorker health and safety are connected with dignity and life; statutory standards should be treated as minimum controls.
J.K. Industries Ltd. v. Chief Inspector of FactoriesResponsibility attaches to the statutory person in control; internal delegation does not erase legal accountability.
Vellore Citizens Welfare Forum v. Union of IndiaPreventive and precautionary controls are relevant where industrial risk affects workers and surrounding communities.
Gammon India Ltd. v. Union of IndiaConstruction-worker welfare and cess legislation is beneficial and must be applied consistently with the charging and machinery provisions.

State-law variation alerts

  • Confirm whether the Central or State Government is the appropriate Government.
  • Central Rules do not automatically displace valid State Rules, rates, registers, authorities or portal procedures.
  • Minimum-wage rates, holidays, working-hours permissions, licences and local welfare obligations require State-specific verification.
  • Record Gazette number, effective date and supersession status in the location compliance register.

Finin2min Q&A

Which law and version should be applied?

Use the current text of OSHWC Code, 2020, the commencement notification, the applicable Central or State Rules and any later instrument effective on the event date.

How is the appropriate Government identified?

Classify ownership/control, sector, establishment and contractor relationship before selecting the Central or State authority.

Can a company policy override the statutory protection?

No. A policy may improve a benefit or control, but it cannot contract out of a mandatory statutory floor.

What evidence should be retained?

Retain the classification memo, source instrument, form/portal record, calculation, approval, employee communication, acknowledgement and payment or authority proof.

Do the Central Rules apply to every establishment?

No. They govern the Central sphere. State Rules and State notifications must be checked where the State is the appropriate Government.

How should a historical event be tested?

Apply the law and subordinate instrument effective on the event date, then use the repeal-and-savings provision for pending rights and proceedings.

What happens when portal practice conflicts with the statute?

Record the conflict, follow the higher legal instrument, seek authority clarification where necessary and preserve screenshots and correspondence.

Can criminal and monetary consequences arise together?

They may. Separate wages/benefits, interest, damages, civil penalty, prosecution, compounding and director/officer liability.

Is a contractor arrangement enough to shift liability?

No. Principal-employer and contractor liabilities depend on the specific provision and facts; the contract should allocate evidence and recovery without diluting worker rights.

What is the first professional review step?

Freeze the event date and facts, identify the applicable provision, then map Rules, forms, notification status, authority, limitation and evidence.

What is the operational focus of section 24 - Welfare facilities in the establishment, etc.?

The section must be decomposed into actor, trigger, threshold, procedure, exception, consequence and evidence. Read the full official text and the mapped Rules before applying the Finin2min control summary.

What is review control 12 for this chapter?

Confirm source currency, State variation, internal ownership, documentary proof and the next statutory deadline before closing the compliance ticket.

What is review control 13 for this chapter?
What is review control 14 for this chapter?
What is review control 15 for this chapter?

Source and review trail

Use the current official instrument, portal or regulator publication before acting. Page-specific references are listed below.

Official starting point
www.labour.gov.in

Page source links

Related guidance: OSHWC Code, 2020 - Chapter I: Preliminary · OSHWC Code, 2020 - Chapter II: Registration

Finin2min Q&A

Can this chapter replace the signed Gazette or exact provision?No. Use it to navigate the law and control workflow; the signed Gazette/official text and current subordinate instrument prevail.
What changes the answer most often?Coverage, appropriate Government/jurisdiction, worker status, event date, current notification/Rule and the evidence proving those facts.
What should a professional sign-off contain?The controlling provision and version, factual test, Rule/form/notification, calculation or decision, authority/limitation, implementation evidence and unresolved exceptions.

Official / primary-source starting points

Mutable rates, forms, portal steps, State rules, exemptions, authorities and later amendments must be verified from the exact official source effective on the event date.