Notification Record & Forms
Notification details and the forms every employer needs, in one place.
- Issuing authority
- Department of Labour, Chandigarh Administration
- Notified
- Draft issued 28 December 2021, published in the Official Gazette of the Chandigarh Administration
- Objection window
- 45 days from the date of publication, closed around mid February 2022
- Legal basis
- Sections 133 and 135 of the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020
- Supersedes
- 7 earlier Chandigarh laws: the Chandigarh Factory Rules 1952; Chandigarh Control of Industrial Major Accident Hazards Rules 1993; Chandigarh Welfare Officers (Recruitment and Conditions of Service) Rules 1952; Chandigarh Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Rules 2008; Chandigarh Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Rules 1973; Chandigarh Inter State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Rules 1983; and Chandigarh Motor Transport Workers Rules 1963
- Current Status
- The 2021 draft is not finally notified and appears to have been superseded in practice by a fresh 2026 draft that is itself still under public consultation
Note on which draft this guide covers: Chandigarh published draft OSH rules in December 2021 under the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code 2020. That 2021 draft was never finally notified, and on 16 July 2026 the Chandigarh Administration issued a fresh 2026 draft that appears intended to supersede it, introducing new provisions on heat stress management, night shift safety for women and a faster deemed registration timeline. This guide is built from the text of the 2021 draft only. Employers should confirm the current applicable rules with the Chandigarh Labour Department before relying on this guide for compliance decisions.
Every employer running a factory, industrial premises, beedi or cigar work, plantation or contract labour operation in Chandigarh needs to understand what the 2021 draft required — the forms to file, the timelines to meet, and the penalties for non-compliance under the parent Code — as background for how the 2026 draft is likely to build on it.
Forms under the State Rules
Due Dates
Compliance deadlines, forms and how often each one recurs.
| Compliance | Form | Compliance Frequency | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registration of establishment | Form 04 | One time | Within 60 days of the Code becoming applicable under Section 3 of the Code; a late fee of 25 percent applies thereafter |
| Notice of commencement | Form 07 | Event based | At least 15 days before commencement of operations |
| Notice of cessation | Form 08 | Event based | Within 30 days of cessation of operations |
| Annual medical examination (general workers above 45 years) | Form 09 | Annual | Within 120 days from the commencement of the year |
| Medical examination for hazardous process workers | Form 09 | Half yearly | Within 30 days from 1 January and 1 July |
| Notice of accident | Form 10 | Event based | Within 12 hours, confirmed in writing within 24 hours |
| Notice of dangerous occurrence | Form 11 | Event based | Within 12 hours |
| Notice of disease | Form 12 | Event based | Forthwith on occurrence |
| Action taken report on imminent danger | Form 14 | Event based | Within 24 hours of remedial action |
| Annual return | Form 21 | Annual | Not later than 28 February following the end of the calendar year |
| Monthly return for hazardous or dangerous operations | Form 39 | Monthly | On or before the 5th day of every month |
| Contractor licence renewal | Form 26 | Annual | At least 30 days before expiry of the licence |
| Factory licence renewal | Form 51 | Annual, renewable up to 10 years | At least 30 days before expiry of the licence |
| Intimation of work order by contractor | Form 30 | Event based | At least 15 days before commencement of work |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Factory threshold | Chandigarh Factory Rules 1952 followed the Factories Act 1948 threshold for a factory | Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code 2020 defines a factory as 20 or more workers with power, or 40 or more workers without power |
| Establishment registration | Separate registrations required under the Factories Act, the BOCW Act, the Contract Labour Act, the Inter State Migrant Workmen Act and the Motor Transport Workers Act | A single unified online registration under the Code, covering all these categories through one Form 04 |
| Contract labour licensing | Governed separately under the Chandigarh Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Rules 1973 | Governed under Chapter IX Part I of these Rules, with online application and deemed licensing if the authority does not act within 30 days |
| Inter State migrant workers | Governed under the Chandigarh Inter State Migrant Workmen Rules 1983 | Merged into Chapter IX Part II of these Rules, with an added yearly journey allowance and a toll free helpline requirement |
| Welfare officer recruitment | Separate Chandigarh Welfare Officers (Recruitment and Conditions of Service) Rules 1952 | Subsumed within the unified framework of these Rules and the parent Code |
| Major accident hazard control | Chandigarh Control of Industrial Major Accident Hazards Rules 1993 applied as a standalone framework | Site appraisal committee, compulsory disclosure and Material Safety Data Sheet obligations built into these Rules |
| Building and construction workers | Chandigarh Building and Other Construction Workers Rules 2008 applied as a standalone framework | Consolidated into these Rules alongside factory, beedi or cigar and other worker categories |
| Registers and returns | Physical registers maintained separately under each of the 7 repealed laws | Electronic maintenance permitted across a unified set of forms accessed through one portal |
| Penalty regime | Penalties fixed separately under the Factories Act 1948 and the other individual repealed laws | Unified penalty structure under Sections 94 to 103 of the Code, with fines of up to Rs 5 lakh for the most serious contraventions |
Applicability
Who the Code covers, and who gets special or exempt treatment.
Covered
- Any establishment with 10 or more workers engaged in industry, trade, business, manufacturing or occupation
- Factories with 20 or more workers using power, or 40 or more workers without power
- Contractors engaging workers through licensed contract labour arrangements
- Inter State migrant workers drawing wages up to Rs 18,000 per month, recruited across state lines
- Beedi and cigar work carried out in licensed industrial premises
- Plantations admeasuring 5 hectares or more
Exempted / special treatment
- Establishments with fewer than 10 workers, unless engaged in a hazardous or life threatening activity notified by the Central Government
- Smaller premises below this threshold, other than those already registered under the erstwhile Chandigarh Factory Rules 1952 at a lower threshold, which continue under the savings clause in Rule 151
- Contractors engaged solely in activities excluded from the definition of core activity, such as certain intermittent or support services
- Workers drawing wages above the notified threshold, or recruited and employed entirely within the same state
- Self employed persons carrying out beedi or cigar work in a private dwelling house
- Smaller plantation holdings below the 5 hectare threshold, unless separately notified by the Chandigarh Administration
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to what employers ask us most about this rule.
1. Are the Chandigarh Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Rules, 2021 currently in force?
No. These Rules remain a draft. They were published on 28 December 2021 with a 45 day public objection window that closed in mid February 2022, and the Chandigarh Administration has not issued a final notification since. A fresh 2026 draft was issued on 16 July 2026 and appears to supersede this one.
2. What is the difference between this 2021 draft and the new 2026 draft?
News coverage of the 2026 draft points to a faster deemed registration timeline of 7 working days instead of 30, new heat stress management duties involving wet bulb globe temperature monitoring, and added safety conditions for women working night shifts. Employers should treat the 2021 draft covered in this guide as a reference point rather than the current text.
3. Which establishments must register under these Rules once they take effect?
Any establishment employing 10 or more workers in an industry, trade, business, manufacturing or occupation, along with factories, mines, ports, motor transport undertakings, newspaper establishments, audio visual production, building or construction work, and plantations, subject to the specific thresholds for each category.
4. How is a factory defined under these Rules?
A factory is any premises where 20 or more workers are working with the aid of power, or 40 or more workers are working without the aid of power, on any day in the preceding 12 months, and where a manufacturing process is carried on.
5. What is the fee for registering an establishment?
The registration fee is charged on a slab basis according to the number of employees, starting at Rs 1,000 for establishments employing up to 20 workers and rising to Rs 50,000 for establishments employing more than 5,000 workers.
6. How soon must an employer give notice before starting operations?
The employer must give notice of commencement in Form 07 at least 15 days before starting operations, and notice of cessation in Form 08 within 30 days of stopping operations.
7. What medical examinations must an employer arrange for employees?
Employees above 45 years in a factory, beedi or cigar work, or building or construction work are entitled to a free annual medical examination within 120 days of the start of the year. Workers handling hazardous substances or hazardous processes must be examined every 6 months, within 30 days of 1 January and 1 July.
8. How quickly must an accident be reported?
A fatal accident must be reported within 12 hours to the Registering Officer or designated authority and the Chief Inspector cum Facilitator, with written confirmation in Form 10 within 24 hours. An accident causing 48 hours or more of disability must also be reported in Form 10 within 24 hours of the disability period ending.
9. When is the annual return due?
Every employer must file the annual return in Form 21 on the portal not later than 28 February following the end of each calendar year, with a copy sent to the Director General, Labour Bureau.
10. How does contract labour licensing work under these Rules?
A contractor applies for a licence in Form 26, which the designated authority is expected to issue within 45 days, and the licence is deemed granted if no decision is made within 30 days of a complete application. Renewal must be applied for at least 30 days before expiry, and the licence can renew automatically each year if there is no change in particulars.
11. What protection do inter State migrant workers get under these Rules?
Workers who complete 180 days of service are entitled to a lump sum yearly journey allowance for travel to their native place, recorded in a register in Form 33. The employer must also provide access to a toll free helpline maintained by the Chief Inspector cum Facilitator.
12. What happens if a principal employer's contractor fails to pay wages?
The principal employer becomes responsible for paying the unpaid wages directly to the contract workers and can then recover that amount from the contractor, either by deduction from payments due to the contractor or as a debt.
13. What is the maximum penalty an employer could face under the parent Code?
Where a contravention of safety duties leads to an accident or death, the responsible person faces imprisonment of up to 2 years, a fine of up to Rs 5 lakh, or both, with at least half the fine payable as compensation to the victim or their heirs. A general contravention with no specific penalty attracts a fine of Rs 2 lakh to Rs 3 lakh.
14. Can an employer appeal a penalty imposed under these Rules?
Yes. An aggrieved employer can appeal to the Appellate Authority in Form 47 within the period allowed under Section 111(3) of the Code, along with a fee equal to 2 percent of the penalty imposed.
15. Which older Chandigarh laws will these Rules eventually replace?
Once finally notified, these Rules will replace 7 earlier Chandigarh laws: the Chandigarh Factory Rules 1952, the Control of Industrial Major Accident Hazards Rules 1993, the Welfare Officers Recruitment Rules 1952, the Building and Other Construction Workers Rules 2008, the Contract Labour Rules 1973, the Inter State Migrant Workmen Rules 1983, and the Motor Transport Workers Rules 1963.
Sources
Where every fact on this page comes from.
- → Draft Chandigarh Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Rules, 2021, Department of Labour, Chandigarh Administration. (official)
- → The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 (Act No. 37 of 2020), Government of India. (official)
- → Draft Chandigarh Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Rules, 2026, issued 16 July 2026, Department of Labour, Chandigarh Administration. (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.