Section 42: Medical officer
Reviewed by Finin2min Editorial Desk · Last reviewed 30 August 2026
Section 42 — Governs medical officer and the rights, duties, powers or procedure expressly stated in this section. Key operative text: (1) The appropriate Government may appoint medical practitioners having prescribed qualification to be medical officers for the purposes of this Code in relation to factory, mines, plantation, motor transport undertakings and…
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
- (1) The appropriate Government may appoint medical practitioners having prescribed qualification to be medical officers for the purposes of this Code in relation to factory, mines, plantation, motor transport undertakings and in any other establishment as may be prescribed:
- Provided that the medical officers so appointed shall before entering into their office shall disclose to the appropriate Government their interest in the concerned establishment.
- (2) The medical officer shall perform the following duties, namely:— (a) the examination and certification of workers in a mine or factory or in such other establishment engaged in such dangerous occupations or processes as may be prescribed;
- (b) the exercise of such medical supervision for any factory, mines, plantation, motor transport undertaking and for such other establishment as may be prescribed by the appropriate Government where cases of illness have occurred which it is reasonable to believe are due to the nature of any process carried on or other conditions of work prevailing in such establishments;
- (c) the examination and certification of adolescent for the purpose of ascertaining his fitness for employment in factory, plantation, motor transport undertakings and in any other establishment as may be prescribed by the appropriate Government in any work which is likely to cause injury to their health.
Provisos, explanations & qualifications
- Provided that the medical officers so appointed shall before entering into their office shall disclose to the appropriate Government their interest in the concerned establishment.
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
Worker, Appropriate Government
Full statutory text — Section 42
42. Medical officer.—(1) The appropriate Government may appoint medical practitioners having
prescribed qualification to be medical officers for the purposes of this Code in relation to factory, mines,
plantation, motor transport undertakings and in any other establishment as may be prescribed:
Provided that the medical officers so appointed shall before entering into their office shall disclose to
the appropriate Government their interest in the concerned establishment.
(2) The medical officer shall perform the following duties, namely:—
(a) the examination and certification of workers in a mine or factory or in such other establishment
engaged in such dangerous occupations or processes as may be prescribed;
(b) the exercise of such medical supervision for any factory, mines, plantation, motor transport
undertaking and for such other establishment as may be prescribed by the appropriate Government
where cases of illness have occurred which it is reasonable to believe are due to the nature of any
process carried on or other conditions of work prevailing in such establishments;
(c) the examination and certification of adolescent for the purpose of ascertaining his fitness for
employment in factory, plantation, motor transport undertakings and in any other establishment as may
be prescribed by the appropriate Government in any work which is likely to cause injury to their
health.
CHAPTER X
SPECIAL PROVISION RELATING TO EMPLOYMENT OF WOMENHow to apply this provision
- Primary statutory test — (1) The appropriate Government may appoint medical practitioners having prescribed qualification to be medical officers for the purposes of this Code in relation to factory, mines, plantation, motor transport undertakings and in any other establishment as may be prescribed:
- Additional operative limb — Provided that the medical officers so appointed shall before entering into their office shall disclose to the appropriate Government their interest in the concerned establishment.
- Qualification / exception to test — Provided that the medical officers so appointed shall before entering into their office shall disclose to the appropriate Government their interest in the concerned establishment.
- Central Rule mapping — 81, 82. 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: Worker, Appropriate Government.
Rules, forms and cross-references
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 medical officer, 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: “(1) The appropriate Government may appoint medical practitioners having prescribed qualification to be medical officers for the purposes of this Code in relation to factory, mines, plantation, motor transport undertakings and in any other establishment as may be prescribed:” Also test the express qualification/proviso before concluding the result. Read the mapped Central Rule(s) 81, 82.
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 42
What does Section 42 of the OSHWC Code cover?
Section 42 — Governs medical officer and the rights, duties, powers or procedure expressly stated in this section. Key operative text: (1) The appropriate Government may appoint medical practitioners having prescribed qualification to be medical officers for the purposes of this Code in relation to factory, mines, plantation, motor transport undertakings and…
What is the main legal requirement or power in Section 42?
The first operative clause identified from the official text is: “(1) The appropriate Government may appoint medical practitioners having prescribed qualification to be medical officers for the purposes of this Code in relation to factory, mines, plantation, motor transport undertakings and in any other establishment as may be prescribed:” Read it with the remaining subsections and any proviso below.
Does Section 42 contain a proviso or explanation?
Yes. A qualification extracted from the official text is: “Provided that the medical officers so appointed shall before entering into their office shall disclose to the appropriate Government their interest in the concerned establishment.”
What time limit, percentage or amount appears in Section 42?
No explicit day/month/year/hour/percentage/rupee expression was detected in the official section text.
Which 2026 Central Rules are linked to Section 42?
The current concordance maps Section 42 to Central Rule(s) 81, 82.
Is Section 42 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.