Chapter
V — Health, safety and working conditions
Section 23 — Responsibility of employer for maintaining health, safety and working conditions
Detailed statutory control map with Central Rule, form, authority, evidence and State-jurisdiction checks.
Statutory identity
Part
General chapter provision
Provision owner
Statutory implementation control
Applicable rules
Rule 22, Rule 23, Rule 24, Rule 25, Rule 26, Rule 27, Rule 28, Rule 29, Rule 30, Rule 31, Rule 32, Rule 33, Rule 34, Rule 35, Rule 36, Rule 37, Rule 38, Rule 39, Rule 40, Rule 41, Rule 42, Rule 43, Rule 44, Rule 45, Rule 46, Rule 47, Rule 48
Forms
No direct prescribed form identified
Last source review
2026-07-17
Provision-by-provision analytical map
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.
- Control 1. Identify the covered establishment, worker category, appropriate Government and sector-specific overlay.
- Control 2. Break the provision into trigger, actor, action, timing, evidence and consequence before configuring the process.
- Control 3. Read the corresponding Central Rule, prescribed form, Schedule and notified authority together.
- Control 4. Create a named control owner and maker-checker evidence trail.
- Control 5. Recheck later Central orders, State rules and technical standards before relying on a threshold or procedure.
Actor, trigger and jurisdiction
Primary actor
Employer, occupier, owner, agent, manager, contractor, employee or statutory authority according to the text of section 23.
Trigger
The facts engage “Responsibility of employer for maintaining health, safety and working conditions”. Coverage, sector and appropriate-Government analysis must be recorded before action.
Central/State split
The 2026 Central Rules apply where the Central Government is the appropriate Government. State rules and notifications must be checked separately.
Technical overlay
Applicable standards, mine/dock regulations, Schedule limits and authority orders may add more specific requirements.
Linked Central Rules and forms
Central Rule 22Cleanliness and hygieneCentral Rule 23Ventilation, temperature and humidityCentral Rule 24Precaution against dust, noxious gas, fumes and other impuritiesCentral Rule 25Artificial humidificationCentral Rule 26Cleanliness and hygieneCentral Rule 27Ventilation, temperature and humidityCentral Rule 28Precaution against dust, noxious gas, fumes and other impuritiesCentral Rule 29Artificial HumidificationCentral Rule 30Cleanliness and hygieneCentral Rule 31Ventilation, temperature and humidityCentral Rule 32Precaution against dust, noxious gas, fumes and other impuritiesCentral Rule 33Cleanliness and hygieneCentral Rule 34Ventilation, temperature and humidityCentral Rule 35Precaution against dustCentral Rule 36Cleanliness and hygieneCentral Rule 37Ventilation, temperature and humidityCentral Rule 38Precaution against dust, noxious gas, fumes and other impuritiesCentral Rule 39Cleanliness and hygieneCentral Rule 40Ventilation, temperature and humidityCentral Rule 41Precaution against dust, noxious gas, fumes and other impuritiesCentral Rule 42Cleanliness and hygieneCentral Rule 43Precaution against dust, noxious gas, fumes and other impuritiesCentral Rule 44Potable waterCentral Rule 45OvercrowdingCentral Rule 46Lighting (Illumination)Central Rule 47Latrine and urinal accommodationCentral Rule 48Treatment of waste and effluents
Implementation workflow
- Coverage memo: identify establishment, sector, headcount, worker status, location and appropriate Government.
- Legal decomposition: mark each subsection, proviso, explanation, exception and delegated power in the official text.
- Control design: assign a process owner, system trigger, time limit, reviewer and escalation path.
- Evidence: preserve the source transaction, decision, communication and acknowledgement.
- Freshness check: verify later Gazette notifications, authority appointments, State rules and technical orders.
Evidence checklist
- coverage memo
- legal crosswalk
- process/control document
- transaction evidence
- approval and acknowledgement
- exception/escalation record
Non-compliance and remedy
A generic policy without transaction-level evidence will not prove compliance with the provision.
Read sections 94–114 for the offence, adjudication, prosecution, composition and court route. A continuing unsafe condition should be corrected immediately; retrospective records must never be fabricated.
Worked control example
A covered establishment converts “Responsibility of employer for maintaining health, safety and working conditions” into a control with a named owner, trigger, deadline, prescribed evidence, reviewer and escalation path. A sample transaction is tested before the policy is treated as operational.
Practical questions
Is the Central Rule automatically applicable to every establishment?
No. Determine the appropriate Government and sector. State rules may govern establishments outside the Central sphere.
Does a policy prove compliance?
No. Transaction evidence, prescribed records, competent appointments, measurements and acknowledgements are ordinarily required.
What should be checked before relying on this page?
Read the exact India Code section, mapped Rule, Schedule, authority notification and any later Central or State instrument.
Official sources
India Code — complete CodeRead the exact statutory provision and related subordinate instruments.Ministry Labour Codes libraryCode, final Central Rules, notifications, FAQs and implementation material.Official Gazette — Central Rules, 2026G.S.R. 345(E), 8 May 2026; Gazette ID CG-DL-E-09052026-272379