Section 140: Powers to regulate general safety and health
Reviewed by Finin2min Editorial Desk · Last reviewed 30 August 2026
Section 140 — Governs powers to regulate general safety and health and the rights, duties, powers or procedure expressly stated in this section. Key operative text: Notwithstanding any law for the time being in force, the Central Government may make rules to regulate general safety and health of the persons residing in whole or part of India, in the event of declaration of an epidemic,…
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
- Notwithstanding any law for the time being in force, the Central Government may make rules to regulate general safety and health of the persons residing in whole or part of India, in the event of declaration of an epidemic, pandemic or disaster, for such period as may be notified by the Central Government.
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
Central Government
Full statutory text — Section 140
140. Powers to regulate general safety and health.—Notwithstanding any law for the time being in force, the Central Government may make rules to regulate general safety and health of the persons residing in whole or part of India, in the event of declaration of an epidemic, pandemic or disaster, for such period as may be notified by the Central Government.
How to apply this provision
- Primary statutory test — Notwithstanding any law for the time being in force, the Central Government may make rules to regulate general safety and health of the persons residing in whole or part of India, in the event of declaration of an epidemic, pandemic or disaster, for such period as may be notified by the Central Government.
- Evidence file — retain facts and records proving the role/status of: Central 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 powers to regulate general safety and health, 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: “Notwithstanding any law for the time being in force, the Central Government may make rules to regulate general safety and health of the persons residing in whole or part of India, in the event of declaration of an epidemic, pandemic or disaster, for such period as may be notified”
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 140
What does Section 140 of the OSHWC Code cover?
Section 140 — Governs powers to regulate general safety and health and the rights, duties, powers or procedure expressly stated in this section. Key operative text: Notwithstanding any law for the time being in force, the Central Government may make rules to regulate general safety and health of the persons residing in whole or part of India, in the event of declaration of an epidemic,…
What is the main legal requirement or power in Section 140?
The first operative clause identified from the official text is: “Notwithstanding any law for the time being in force, the Central Government may make rules to regulate general safety and health of the persons residing in whole or part of India, in the event of declaration of an epidemic, pandemic or disaster, for such period as may be notified by the Central Government.” Read it with the remaining subsections and any proviso below.
Does Section 140 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 140?
No explicit day/month/year/hour/percentage/rupee expression was detected in the official section text.
Which 2026 Central Rules are linked to Section 140?
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 140 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.