Section 86: National Board to inquire into certain situations
Reviewed by Finin2min Editorial Desk · Last reviewed 30 August 2026
Section 86 — Governs national board to inquire into certain situations and the rights, duties, powers or procedure expressly stated in this section. Key operative text: (2) The recommendations of the National Board shall be advisory in the nature.
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
- (2) The recommendations of the National Board shall be advisory in the nature.
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
Worker, Central Government, State Government
Full statutory text — Section 86
86. National Board to inquire into certain situations.—(1) The Central Government may, in the event of the occurrence of an extraordinary situation involving a factory engaged in a hazardous process, direct the National Board to inquire into the standards of health and safety observed in the factory with a view to finding out the causes of any failure or neglect in the adoption of any measures or standards prescribed by the State Government for the health and safety of the workers employed in the factory or the general public affected, or likely to be affected due to such failure or neglect and for the prevention of recurrence of such extraordinary situations in future in such factory or elsewhere. (2) The recommendations of the National Board shall be advisory in the nature.
How to apply this provision
- Primary statutory test — (2) The recommendations of the National Board shall be advisory in the nature.
- Evidence file — retain facts and records proving the role/status of: Worker, Central Government, State Government.
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 national board to inquire into certain situations, 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: “(2) The recommendations of the National Board shall be advisory in the nature.”
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 86
What does Section 86 of the OSHWC Code cover?
Section 86 — Governs national board to inquire into certain situations and the rights, duties, powers or procedure expressly stated in this section. Key operative text: (2) The recommendations of the National Board shall be advisory in the nature.
What is the main legal requirement or power in Section 86?
The first operative clause identified from the official text is: “(2) The recommendations of the National Board shall be advisory in the nature.” Read it with the remaining subsections and any proviso below.
Does Section 86 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 86?
No explicit day/month/year/hour/percentage/rupee expression was detected in the official section text.
Which 2026 Central Rules are linked to Section 86?
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 86 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.