Section 15: Duty not to interfere with or misuse things
Reviewed by Finin2min Editorial Desk · Last reviewed 30 August 2026
Section 15 — Governs duty not to interfere with or misuse things and the rights, duties, powers or procedure expressly stated in this section. Key operative text: No person shall intentionally or recklessly interfere with, damage or misuse anything which is provided in the interest of health, safety or welfare under this Code.
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.
Provision / India Code ↗ · Official Act PDF ↗ · 2026 Central Rules ↗
Finin2min analysis — what the section actually does
Operative clauses
- No person shall intentionally or recklessly interfere with, damage or misuse anything which is provided in the interest of health, safety or welfare under this Code.
Provisos, explanations & qualifications
- No proviso/explanation was separately extracted from this section text.
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
No standard actor label extracted; identify the legal subject from the full text.
Full statutory text — Section 15
15. Duty not to interfere with or misuse things.—No person shall intentionally or recklessly
interfere with, damage or misuse anything which is provided in the interest of health, safety or welfare
under this Code.
CHAPTER IV
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTHHow to apply this provision
- Primary statutory test — No person shall intentionally or recklessly interfere with, damage or misuse anything which is provided in the interest of health, safety or welfare under this Code.
Rules, forms and cross-references
Direct 2026 Central Rule mapping
Forms mapped
No prescribed form is directly mapped in the current concordance.
Other sections cited in this text
Related Labour Hub resources
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
For an establishment affected by duty not to interfere with or misuse things, the compliance owner should identify the applicable sector and authority, document the prescribed control/notice/record and retain inspection or training evidence. A text point to test is: “No person shall intentionally or recklessly interfere with, damage or misuse anything which is provided in the interest of health, safety or welfare under this Code.”
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 15
What does Section 15 of the OSHWC Code cover?
Section 15 — Governs duty not to interfere with or misuse things and the rights, duties, powers or procedure expressly stated in this section. Key operative text: No person shall intentionally or recklessly interfere with, damage or misuse anything which is provided in the interest of health, safety or welfare under this Code.
What is the main legal requirement or power in Section 15?
The first operative clause identified from the official text is: “No person shall intentionally or recklessly interfere with, damage or misuse anything which is provided in the interest of health, safety or welfare under this Code.” Read it with the remaining subsections and any proviso below.
Does Section 15 contain a proviso or explanation?
No standalone proviso or explanation was extracted from this section text. Check the full text below for clause-level qualifications.
What time limit, percentage or amount appears in Section 15?
No explicit day/month/year/hour/percentage/rupee expression was detected in the official section text.
Which 2026 Central Rules are linked to Section 15?
No direct Central Rule is recorded in the current concordance. That does not exclude a relevant scheme, notification, State rule or enabling provision.
Is Section 15 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.