Notification Record & Forms
Notification details and the forms every employer needs, in one place.
- Issuing authority
- Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India
- Notified
- 8 May 2026, vide G.S.R. 345(E)
- Objection window
- Forty five days from the date the draft rules were made available to the public on 30 December 2025, vide G.S.R. 934(E)
- Legal basis
- Sections 133 and 134 of the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 (Act 37 of 2020)
- Supersedes
- Fifteen sets of rules under the Dock Workers, Mines, Building and Other Construction Workers, Contract Labour, Inter State Migrant Workmen, Working Journalists, Cine Workers and Sales Promotion Employees laws (full list below)
- Current Status
- In force since 8 May 2026
The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Central) Rules, 2026 were notified by the Ministry of Labour and Employment on 8 May 2026, operationalising the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020. They replace fifteen older sets of rules covering dock workers, mines, building and construction workers, contract labour, inter-state migrant workers, journalists and more into one unified framework.
Employers need to understand the registration requirements, the forms to file, the due dates to track, and the penalties for non-compliance under the parent Code.
Forms under the State Rules
Due Dates
Compliance deadlines, forms and how often each one recurs.
| Compliance | Form | Compliance Frequency | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| New establishment registration | FORM I | One time | Before the establishment starts operating |
| Updating registration already held under another central labour law | FORM I | One time | Within six months of the rules coming into force, that is by 7 November 2026 |
| Notice of commencement or cessation of operation | FORM VI | Event based | Within thirty days of commencement or cessation |
| Prior notice for mines | FORM VII | Event based | At least thirty days before commencement, reopening, cessation or closure |
| Notice of a fatal accident | FORM XI | Event based | Forthwith, that is immediately |
| Notice of an accident causing forty eight hours or more of disability | FORM XI | Event based | Within twelve hours of the disability reaching forty eight hours |
| Wage slip to employees | FORM XVI | Every wage period | On or before the day wages are paid |
| Annual return | FORM XVII | Annual | On or before the twenty eighth or twenty ninth of February following the calendar year |
| Half yearly return by contractor | FORM XVIII | Half yearly | Within thirty days of the close of each half year, that is January to June and July to December |
| Acting on Safety Committee recommendations | Not form based | Event based | Within fifteen days of receiving the recommendations |
| Intimation of a contract work order | Not form based | Event based | Within fifteen days of receiving the work order |
Key Provisions
What changed under the Code, and what it means for payroll.
Old Law vs. New Law
What employers followed before, against what applies now — point matched against point.
| On this point | Before — earlier law | Now — the new Code |
|---|---|---|
| Governing laws | Fifteen separate rules spread across laws for factories, mines, docks, construction, contract labour, migrant workers, journalists, cine workers and sales promotion employees | One unified Code and one set of Central Rules covering all these sectors |
| Registration | Multiple registrations with different authorities under different laws | A single electronic registration in FORM I on the Shram Suvidha Portal with one Labour Identification Number |
| Night work for women | Generally restricted, with state government permission needed in many cases | Allowed with the woman's written consent plus safeguards such as transport, lighting and surveillance under Rule 83 |
| Registers and returns | Separate paper registers for factories, contract labour and migrant workers under different laws | Largely electronic registers with one annual return in FORM XVII across establishment types |
| Contractor licensing | State specific paper based licences under the Contract Labour law, required once twenty or more contract workers were engaged | A single electronic licence valid across states, required once fifty or more contract workers are engaged |
| Composition of offences | No single consolidated mechanism across the older laws | A defined process in Rule 182 with FORM XXVI and FORM XXVII and fixed timelines for payment and certification |
Applicability
Who the Code covers, and who gets special or exempt treatment.
Covered
- Any establishment, factory, motor transport undertaking, newspaper establishment, audio visual production, building or construction work, or plantation employing ten or more workers
- Every mine, and every port or area where dock work is carried out
- Establishments and contractors engaging fifty or more contract workers on any day in the preceding twelve months
- Employers of inter state migrant workers
- Working journalists, other newspaper employees and sales promotion employees
- Cine workers, cinema theatre workers and audio visual workers
- Establishments with five hundred or more workers
- Supervisory, managerial and confidential capacity personnel in mines
Exempted / special treatment
- Establishments carrying on a hazardous or life threatening activity notified by the Central Government are covered regardless of how many workers they employ
- Mines doing only small scale prospecting, limited to twenty persons a day and shallow depth, and mines extracting materials such as ordinary sand, clay or building stone under specified conditions, are exempt from most of the Code other than sections 35, 38, 40, 41 and 44
- Establishments or contractors below the fifty worker mark fall outside the licensing requirement for contract labour, though general welfare and safety duties still apply once the establishment itself has ten or more workers
- None specified beyond the general worker count thresholds
- Editors, correspondents, reporters and news photographers are excluded from the standard working hours rule under Rule 65(1), though a modified set of hours and rest provisions applies to them under Rule 65(2)
- None specified beyond registration of the agreement in FORM XXIV
- Smaller establishments are not required to constitute a Safety Committee unless the Central Government notifies a lower threshold
- Exempted from the standard hours of work and rest interval provisions under Rule 122
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to what employers ask us most about this rule.
What is the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Central) Rules, 2026?
It is the set of central rules that operationalise the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020. It tells employers how to register, what forms to file, what welfare and safety steps to take, and what happens if they do not comply.
When did these rules come into force?
They were notified on 8 May 2026 and came into force from the date they were published in the Official Gazette.
Which older rules have these rules replaced?
Fifteen sets of rules under laws covering dock workers, mines, building and construction workers, contract labour, inter state migrant workers, working journalists, cine workers and sales promotion employees have been withdrawn and replaced by this single set of rules.
Who needs to register under these rules and how?
Any covered establishment, factory, mine, dock, construction site, motor transport undertaking or plantation must register electronically in FORM I on the Shram Suvidha Portal.
What is FORM I used for?
FORM I is used to apply for a new registration, to amend an existing registration, or to update the details of an establishment that was already registered under another central labour law.
How quickly must an employer report a fatal accident?
A fatal accident must be reported to the Inspector cum Facilitator forthwith, meaning immediately, along with electronic and telephone intimation to the listed authorities.
Is a Safety Committee mandatory for every establishment?
No. It is mandatory only for establishments employing five hundred or more workers, unless the Central Government notifies a different threshold for a particular class of establishment.
Can women be employed on night shifts under the new rules?
Yes, subject to their written consent and safeguards such as safe transport, well lit premises, surveillance and a dedicated helpline, as set out in Rule 83.
What records must an employer maintain, and for how long?
Employers must keep an employee register, attendance register, wage register and related records, largely in electronic form, and preserve them for five years from the last entry.
When is the annual return due?
The annual return in FORM XVII must reach the Inspector cum Facilitator on or before the twenty eighth or twenty ninth of February following the end of each calendar year.
How does a contractor obtain a licence under these rules?
A contractor applies electronically in FORM XXI through the Shram Suvidha Portal, and a single licence can also be sought for work across more than one state.
What happens if an employer does not maintain registers or file returns?
This attracts a penalty under Section 96 of the Code, which is not less than one lakh rupees and can extend to two lakh rupees.
Can offences under the Code be compounded?
Yes. An accused person can apply in FORM XXVI to have a compoundable offence settled by paying the prescribed composition amount within fifteen days of the notice.
Do these Central Rules apply everywhere in India?
Yes, they extend to the whole of India for matters within the Central Government's jurisdiction, though several states also notify their own rules under the same Code for establishments within their jurisdiction.
Where can employers file the forms required under these rules?
Nearly all the forms, including FORM I, FORM VI, FORM XI and the annual return, are filed electronically through the Shram Suvidha Portal or the portal designated by the Central Government.
Sources
Where every fact on this page comes from.
- → Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India, Gazette Notification G.S.R. 345(E) dated 8 May 2026, Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Central) Rules, 2026 (official)
- → The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020, Act 37 of 2020, Government of India (official)
- → PRS Legislative Research, analysis and bill track of the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 (official)
- → Press Information Bureau, Government of India, factsheet on the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 (official)
- → Ministry of Labour and Employment, frequently asked questions on the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 (official)
For informational purposes only — not legal advice. State rules referenced here are subject to change on final notification. Verify current status with our compliance team before acting.