Section 44: Adequate safety of employment of women in dangerous operation
Reviewed by Finin2min Editorial Desk · Last reviewed 30 August 2026
Section 44 — Governs adequate safety of employment of women in dangerous operation and the rights, duties, powers or procedure expressly stated in this section. Key operative text: Where the appropriate Government considers that the employment of women is dangerous for their health and safety, in an establishment or class of establishments or in any particular hazardous or dangerous processes in such…
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
- Where the appropriate Government considers that the employment of women is dangerous for their health and safety, in an establishment or class of establishments or in any particular hazardous or dangerous processes in such establishment or class of establishments, due to the operation carried out therein, such Government may in the prescribed manner, require the employer to provide adequate safeguards prior to…
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
Employer, Worker
Full statutory text — Section 44
44. Adequate safety of employment of women in dangerous operation.—Where the appropriate
Government considers that the employment of women is dangerous for their health and safety, in an
establishment or class of establishments or in any particular hazardous or dangerous processes in such
establishment or class of establishments, due to the operation carried out therein, such Government may
in the prescribed manner, require the employer to provide adequate safeguards prior to the employment of
women for such operation.
CHAPTER XI
SPECIAL PROVISIONS FOR CONTRACT LABOUR AND INTER-STATE MIGRANT WORKER, ETC.
PART I
CONTRACT LABOURHow to apply this provision
- Primary statutory test — Where the appropriate Government considers that the employment of women is dangerous for their health and safety, in an establishment or class of establishments or in any particular hazardous or dangerous processes in such establishment or class of establishments, due to the operation carried out therein, such Government may in the prescribed manner, require the employer to provide adequate safeguards prior to…
- Central Rule mapping — 84. 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, Worker.
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
A woman worker is rostered for a night shift. The employer should not treat the roster as a simple scheduling decision: test the worker-consent requirement, prescribed safety/transport or other conditions, and any sector-specific restrictions under the Code and applicable Rules before the shift is assigned. Retain consent, roster and safety-control evidence.
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 44
What does Section 44 of the OSHWC Code cover?
Section 44 — Governs adequate safety of employment of women in dangerous operation and the rights, duties, powers or procedure expressly stated in this section. Key operative text: Where the appropriate Government considers that the employment of women is dangerous for their health and safety, in an establishment or class of establishments or in any particular hazardous or dangerous processes in such…
What is the main legal requirement or power in Section 44?
The first operative clause identified from the official text is: “Where the appropriate Government considers that the employment of women is dangerous for their health and safety, in an establishment or class of establishments or in any particular hazardous or dangerous processes in such establishment or class of establishments, due to the operation carried out therein, such Government may in the prescribed manner, require the employer to provide adequate safeguards prior to…” Read it with the remaining subsections and any proviso below.
Does Section 44 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 44?
No explicit day/month/year/hour/percentage/rupee expression was detected in the official section text.
Which 2026 Central Rules are linked to Section 44?
The current concordance maps Section 44 to Central Rule(s) 84.
Is Section 44 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.