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

Section 20: Safety and occupational health surveys

Reviewed by Finin2min Editorial Desk · Last reviewed 30 August 2026

Section 20 — Governs safety and occupational health surveys and the rights, duties, powers or procedure expressly stated in this section. Key operative text: (1) At any time during the normal working hours of an establishment or at any other time as he may deem necessary,— (a) the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator in the case of factory or mine; or (b) the Director General of Factory…

Full official textSource checked: 20 August 20260 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) At any time during the normal working hours of an establishment or at any other time as he may deem necessary,— (a) the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator in the case of factory or mine; or (b) the Director General of Factory Advice Service and Labour Institute in the case of factory; or (c) the Director General of Mines Safety in the case of mine; or (d) the Director General of Health Services in the case of…
Explanation.—For the purposes of this sub-section, the expression “employer” includes manager for the factory or in the case of any other establishment or class of establishments such person who is for the time being responsible for the safety and the occupational health of such other establishment or class of establishments, as the case may be.
(2) For the purpose of facilitating surveys under sub-section (1) every worker shall, if so required by the person conducting the survey, present himself to undergo such medical examination as may be considered necessary by such person and furnish all information in his possession which is relevant to the survey.
(3) Any time spent by a worker for undergoing medical examination or furnishing information under sub-section (2) shall, for the purpose of calculating wages and extra wages for overtime work, be deemed to be working hour for him.
Explanation.—For the purposes of this section, the report submitted to the appropriate Government by the person conducting the survey under sub-section (1) shall be deemed to be a report submitted by an Inspector-cum-Facilitator under this Code.

Provisos, explanations & qualifications

Explanation.—For the purposes of this sub-section, the expression “employer” includes manager for the factory or in the case of any other establishment or class of establishments such person who is for the time being responsible for the safety and the occupational health of such other establishment or class of establishments, as the case may be.
Explanation.—For the purposes of this section, the report submitted to the appropriate Government by the person conducting the survey under sub-section

Thresholds and timelines in the text

Safety and occupational health surveys.—(1) At any time during the normal working hours of an establishment or at any other time as he may deem necessary,— (a) the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator in the case of factory or mine; or (b) the Director General of Factory Advice Service and Labour Institute in the case of factory; or (c) the Director General…
(3) Any time spent by a worker for undergoing medical examination or furnishing information under sub-section (2) shall, for the purpose of calculating wages and extra wages for overtime work, be deemed to be working hour for him.

Actors expressly appearing in the text

Employer, Worker, Appropriate Government, Inspector-cum-Facilitator

Full statutory text — Section 20

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.

20. Safety and occupational health surveys.—(1) At any time during the normal working hours of an
establishment or at any other time as he may deem necessary,—
      (a) the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator in the case of factory or mine; or
      (b) the Director General of Factory Advice Service and Labour Institute in the case of factory; or
      (c) the Director General of Mines Safety in the case of mine; or
      (d) the Director General of Health Services in the case of factory or mine; or

      (e) such other officer as may be authorised by the appropriate Government in the case of any other
   establishment or class of establishments,
after giving notice in writing to the employer, conduct survey of the factory or mine or such other
establishment or class of establishments and such employer shall afford all facilities for such survey,
including facilities for the examination and testing of plant and machinery and collection of samples and
other data relevant to the survey.
   Explanation.—For the purposes of this sub-section, the expression “employer” includes manager for
the factory or in the case of any other establishment or class of establishments such person who is for the
time being responsible for the safety and the occupational health of such other establishment or class of
establishments, as the case may be.
   (2) For the purpose of facilitating surveys under sub-section (1) every worker shall, if so required by
the person conducting the survey, present himself to undergo such medical examination as may be
considered necessary by such person and furnish all information in his possession which is relevant to the
survey.
    (3) Any time spent by a worker for undergoing medical examination or furnishing information under
sub-section (2) shall, for the purpose of calculating wages and extra wages for overtime work, be deemed
to be working hour for him.
   Explanation.—For the purposes of this section, the report submitted to the appropriate Government by
the person conducting the survey under sub-section (1) shall be deemed to be a report submitted by an
Inspector-cum-Facilitator under this Code.

How to apply this provision

Primary statutory test — (1) At any time during the normal working hours of an establishment or at any other time as he may deem necessary,— (a) the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator in the case of factory or mine; or (b) the Director General of Factory Advice Service and Labour Institute in the case of factory; or (c) the Director General of Mines Safety in the case of mine; or (d) the Director General of Health Services in the case of…
Additional operative limb — Explanation.—For the purposes of this sub-section, the expression “employer” includes manager for the factory or in the case of any other establishment or class of establishments such person who is for the time being responsible for the safety and the occupational health of such other establishment or class of establishments, as the case may be.
Qualification / exception to test — Explanation.—For the purposes of this sub-section, the expression “employer” includes manager for the factory or in the case of any other establishment or class of establishments such person who is for the time being responsible for the safety and the occupational health of such other establishment or class of establishments, as the case may be.
Numerical or timing control — Safety and occupational health surveys.—(1) At any time during the normal working hours of an establishment or at any other time as he may deem necessary,— (a) the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator in the case of factory or mine; or (b) the Director General of Factory Advice Service and Labour Institute in the case of factory; or (c) the Director General…
Evidence file — retain facts and records proving the role/status of: Employer, Worker, Appropriate Government, Inspector-cum-Facilitator.

Why this is section-specific: the operative-clause, exception, threshold and cross-reference panels above are extracted from Section 20 itself rather than a generic “trigger/control/evidence” template.

Rules, forms and cross-references

Direct 2026 Central Rule mapping

None expressly mapped in the current concordance.

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

For an establishment affected by safety and occupational health surveys, 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: “Safety and occupational health surveys.—(1) At any time during the normal working hours of an establishment or at any other time as he may deem necessary,— (a) the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator in the case of factory or mine; or (b) the Director General of Factory Advice Servic” Also test the express qualification/proviso before concluding the result.

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 20

What does Section 20 of the OSHWC Code cover?

What is the main legal requirement or power in Section 20?

The first operative clause identified from the official text is: “(1) At any time during the normal working hours of an establishment or at any other time as he may deem necessary,— (a) the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator in the case of factory or mine; or (b) the Director General of Factory Advice Service and Labour Institute in the case of factory; or (c) the Director General of Mines Safety in the case of mine; or (d) the Director General of Health Services in the case of…” Read it with the remaining subsections and any proviso below.

Does Section 20 contain a proviso or explanation?

Yes. A qualification extracted from the official text is: “Explanation.—For the purposes of this sub-section, the expression “employer” includes manager for the factory or in the case of any other establishment or class of establishments such person who is for the time being responsible for the safety and the occupational health of such other establishment or class of establishments, as the case may be.”

What time limit, percentage or amount appears in Section 20?

The provision contains this numerical/time expression: “Safety and occupational health surveys.—(1) At any time during the normal working hours of an establishment or at any other time as he may deem necessary,— (a) the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator in the case of factory or mine; or (b) the Director General of Factory Advice Service and Labour Institute in the case of factory; or (c) the Director General…” Apply it only in the clause and context in which it appears.

Which 2026 Central Rules are linked to Section 20?

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 20 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.