Labour Hub › OSHWC Code › Sections › Section 1

Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 · I

Section 1: Short title, commencement and application

Reviewed by Finin2min Editorial Desk · Last reviewed 30 August 2026

Section 1 — Governs short title, commencement and application and the rights, duties, powers or procedure expressly stated in this section. Key operative text: (1) This Act may be called the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020.

Full official textSource checked: 20 August 20262 direct Central Rule link(s)

Current-law status

All provisions were brought into force from 21 November 2025 under S.O. 5321(E), subject to the Central/State appropriate-Government split and provision-specific appointments/notifications.

Primary sources

Provision / India Code ↗ · Official Act PDF ↗ · 2026 Central Rules ↗

Finin2min analysis — what the section actually does

Operative clauses

(1) This Act may be called the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020.
(2) It shall come into force on such date1 as the Central Government may, by notification appoint; and different dates may be appointed for different provisions of this Code and any reference in any such provision to the commencement of this Code shall be construed as a reference to the coming into force of that provision.
(3) It shall not apply to the offices of the Central Government, offices of the State Government and any ship of war of any nationality:
Provided that the Code shall apply in case of contract labour employed through contractor in the offices of the Central Government or in the offices of the State Government, where, the Central Government or, as the case may be, the State Government is the principal employer.

Provisos, explanations & qualifications

Provided that the Code shall apply in case of contract labour employed through contractor in the offices of the Central Government or in the offices of the State Government, where, the Central Government or, as the case may be, the State Government is the principal employer.

Thresholds and timelines in the text

No explicit day/month/year/hour/percentage/rupee expression was detected in this section text.

Actors expressly appearing in the text

Employer, Central Government, State Government

Full statutory text — Section 1

Official English text transcribed from the current India Code consolidation; page headers/line breaks are normalised for web reading. The Gazette/India Code PDF remains authoritative for typography, amendment footnotes and schedules.

1. Short title, commencement and application.—(1) This Act may be called the Occupational
Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020.
     (2) It shall come into force on such date1 as the Central Government may, by notification appoint; and
different dates may be appointed for different provisions of this Code and any reference in any such
provision to the commencement of this Code shall be construed as a reference to the coming into force of
that provision.
    (3) It shall not apply to the offices of the Central Government, offices of the State Government and
any ship of war of any nationality:
    Provided that the Code shall apply in case of contract labour employed through contractor in the
offices of the Central Government or in the offices of the State Government, where, the Central
Government or, as the case may be, the State Government is the principal employer.

How to apply this provision

Primary statutory test — (1) This Act may be called the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020.
Additional operative limb — (2) It shall come into force on such date1 as the Central Government may, by notification appoint; and different dates may be appointed for different provisions of this Code and any reference in any such provision to the commencement of this Code shall be construed as a reference to the coming into force of that provision.
Qualification / exception to test — Provided that the Code shall apply in case of contract labour employed through contractor in the offices of the Central Government or in the offices of the State Government, where, the Central Government or, as the case may be, the State Government is the principal employer.
Central Rule mapping — 1, 2. Read the mapped provision together with this text rather than treating the concordance as a substitute for it.
Evidence file — retain facts and records proving the role/status of: Employer, Central Government, State Government.

Why this is section-specific: the operative-clause, exception, threshold and cross-reference panels above are extracted from Section 1 itself rather than a generic “trigger/control/evidence” template.

Rules, forms and cross-references

Direct 2026 Central Rule mapping

Rule 1 Rule 2

Forms mapped

No prescribed form is directly mapped in the current concordance.

Other sections cited in this text

None expressly mapped in the current concordance.

Related Labour Hub resources

State overlays Forms Labour litigation

A direct concordance is not exhaustive. Central/State jurisdiction, schemes, authority appointments, saved instruments and later notifications may change the practical route without changing the section wording.

Worked example

When an event triggers short title, commencement and application, record the trigger date, competent authority, prescribed rule/form, filing or decision step, service/acknowledgement and final outcome. A statutory point to test is: “(1) This Act may be called the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020.” Also test the express qualification/proviso before concluding the result. Read the mapped Central Rule(s) 1, 2.

Illustration only; it is not statutory text or a substitute for applying the actual facts, jurisdiction, current rule/scheme and official instrument.

Q&A — Section 1

What does Section 1 of the OSHWC Code cover?

What is the main legal requirement or power in Section 1?

The first operative clause identified from the official text is: “(1) This Act may be called the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020.” Read it with the remaining subsections and any proviso below.

Does Section 1 contain a proviso or explanation?

Yes. A qualification extracted from the official text is: “Provided that the Code shall apply in case of contract labour employed through contractor in the offices of the Central Government or in the offices of the State Government, where, the Central Government or, as the case may be, the State Government is the principal employer.”

What time limit, percentage or amount appears in Section 1?

No explicit day/month/year/hour/percentage/rupee expression was detected in the official section text.

Which 2026 Central Rules are linked to Section 1?

The current concordance maps Section 1 to Central Rule(s) 1, 2.

Is Section 1 currently operative?

All provisions were brought into force from 21 November 2025 under S.O. 5321(E), subject to the Central/State appropriate-Government split and provision-specific appointments/notifications.

Source & verification trail

Act: Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 — official India Code PDF ↗

Central Rules: Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Central) Rules, 2026 — G.S.R. 345(E), 8 May 2026 ↗

Official library: Ministry of Labour & Employment — Labour Codes ↗

Source check: 20 August 2026. Individual professional interpretation should be re-reviewed when the section, rules, notification, scheme, State overlay or controlling judgment changes.

Reliance note: This page is an educational legal-reference layer. Verify the current official text, the applicable Central/State rules, notifications, schemes and judicial decisions before acting on a live matter.