Notification Record & Forms
Notification details and the forms every employer needs, in one place.
- Issuing authority
- Department of Labour, Employment & Overseas Placement, Government of Himachal Pradesh
- Notified
- 22 May 2026 (published in the Rajpatra/e-Gazette, Himachal Pradesh on 23 May 2026)
- Objection window
- 45 days from the date of gazette publication (closed on or around 6 July 2026)
- Legal basis
- Sections 133 and 135 of the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 (37 of 2020), read with section 23 of the Himachal Pradesh General Clauses Act, 1968
- Supersedes
- HP Factories Rules 1950; HP BOCW (Regulation of Employment and Condition of Services) Rules 2008; Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) HP Rules 1974; Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) HP Rules 1983; HP Plantations Labour Rules 1978
- Status as of
- 1 August 2026 — still a draft; final notification awaited
The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 ("OSH Code") is one of India's four labour codes and consolidates 13 earlier central labour laws, including the Factories Act 1948, the Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act 1970, and the Building and Other Construction Workers Act 1996. The Code itself took effect on 21 November 2025, but it only becomes fully operational state by state once each state government notifies its own implementing rules. On 22 May 2026, the Himachal Pradesh Department of Labour, Employment & Overseas Placement published its draft implementing rules — the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Himachal Pradesh) Rules, 2026 — vide Notification No. LEP-A003/10/2026. This guide summarises the forms, deadlines, key provisions, applicability and penalty framework that employers operating in Himachal Pradesh will need to plan for.
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 1 | One-time | Within 60 days of commencing operations; A 25%-per-annum late fee applies thereafter |
| Notice of commencement / cessation | Form 2 / Form 2A | Event-based | Within 30 days of commencement or cessation of operations |
| Annual health examination | Form 3 | Annual (6-monthly for hazardous processes) | Every 12 months for workers aged 45+; within 15 days of induction; Every 6 months for hazardous-process workers |
| Appointment letter | Form 4 | One-time per employee | On or before the employee starts work |
| Identity card submission for attestation | Form 4A | One-time per worker | Within 3 days of the worker's employment |
| Notice of fatal accident | Form 5 | Event-based | Forthwith (immediately) |
| Notice of disabling injury (48+ hours) | Form 5 | Event-based | Within 12 hours of the 48-hour disability period being completed |
| Notice of dangerous occurrence | Form 6 | Event-based | Within 12 hours |
| Notice of occupational disease | Form 7 | Event-based | Within 7 days of the employer becoming aware |
| Annual return | Form 11 | Annual | On or before 1 February every year; Seasonal factories: within 15 days of season close |
| Factory licence application | Form 12 | One-time, before operating | At least 15 days before occupying/using the premises as a factory |
| Factory / contract-labour licence renewal | Form 12 | Annual / multi-year | At least 30 days before the existing licence expires |
| Contractor's intimation of work order | — | Event-based | Within 15 days of receiving the work order |
| Wages to contract labour | — | Every wage period | Before the 7th day after the end of the wage period |
| Compounding-notice payment | — | Event-based | Within 15 days of receiving the compounding notice |
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 framework | Five separate laws/rules: Factories Act 1948 (HP Rules 1950); BOCW Act (HP Rules 2008); CLRA 1970 (HP Rules 1974); Inter-State Migrant Workmen Act (HP Rules 1983); Plantations Labour Act (HP Rules 1978) | One Code — the OSH Code, 2020 — implemented through a single consolidated set of Himachal Pradesh Rules, 2026 |
| Registration | Separate registration/licence under each individual law and authority | One electronic registration (Form 1) on the state Labour Department portal, covering all establishment types |
| Compliance mode | Largely paper-based: manual registers, physical notices and inspections | Predominantly electronic: portal-based registration, e-filing of returns and notices, and deemed-approval timelines |
| Factory worker threshold | 10 workers (with power) / 20 workers (without power) under the Factories Act 1948 | Raised to 20 workers (with power) / 40 workers (without power) under the OSH Code, 2020 |
| Contract-labour applicability | 20 or more contract workers under CLRA 1970 | Raised to 50 or more contract workers under the OSH Code, 2020 |
| Processing timelines | No statutory "deemed approval" concept in most of the older rules | Deemed registration/licence/amendment if the authority does not act within the prescribed period (commonly 15 days) |
| Safety Committee / Officer thresholds | Governed separately under the Factories Act rules, with their own thresholds | Unified thresholds under Rules 14-15 (150+ employees for a Safety Committee; 500+ / 250+ workers for a Safety Officer) |
| Penalty administration | Fines and compounding handled independently under each individual Act | Centralised compounding mechanism under Rule 69, with a fixed 95%/5% fine-sharing formula between the state exchequer and the Labour Department |
Applicability
Who the Code covers, and who gets special or exempt treatment.
Covered
- Factories: 20 or more workers where a manufacturing process uses power, or 40 or more workers where it does not (OSH Code, section 2(1)(w))
- General establishments: any place carrying on industry, trade, business, manufacturing or occupation with 10 or more workers
- Building & other construction work: 10 or more workers
- Motor transport undertakings, newspaper establishments and audio-video production units: 10 or more workers
- Plantations: 10 or more workers
- Contract labour licensing chapter: principal employers/contractors engaging 50 or more contract workers on any day
- Inter-state migrant worker provisions: wherever inter-state migrant workers are employed
- Safety Officer requirement: factories with 500+ workers, hazardous-process factories with 250+ workers, construction sites with 250+ workers
Exempted / special treatment
- The 10-or-more-worker threshold applies instead — i.e. the normal factory threshold is disregarded — for establishments/classes of establishment carrying on a hazardous or life-threatening activity notified by the Central Government
- Establishments below the 10-worker threshold generally fall outside the Code's core registration mandate
- Crèche facilities become mandatory specifically where 50 or more women workers are ordinarily employed
- Establishments engaging fewer than 50 contract workers are exempt from the contract-labour licensing chapter
- Travel-allowance entitlement specifically requires 180 days of service in the preceding 12 months
- Major Accident Hazard installations must appoint a Safety Officer irrespective of worker count
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to what employers ask us most about this rule.
What is the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Himachal Pradesh) Rules, 2026?
It is a draft set of state rules that operationalise the central OSH Code, 2020 in Himachal Pradesh, covering registration, forms, safety committees, contract labour, welfare facilities and penalties for establishments in the state.
Are these rules already in force in Himachal Pradesh?
No. As of 21 July 2026 they remain a draft notification. The 45-day objection window has closed, but the state government has not yet issued a final notification bringing them into force.
Which laws do these rules replace?
Once finally notified, they will repeal the HP Factories Rules 1950, the HP BOCW Rules 2008, the Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) HP Rules 1974, the Inter-State Migrant Workmen (HP) Rules 1983, and the HP Plantations Labour Rules 1978.
Which employers do these rules apply to?
Generally, establishments with 10 or more workers, factories with 20 or more workers (power-driven) or 40 or more (non-power), building and construction sites, motor transport undertakings, plantations, and contractors engaging 50 or more contract workers.
How do I register my establishment?
Registration is done electronically in Form 1 on the Himachal Pradesh Labour Department's web portal, along with the prescribed fee, within 60 days of commencing operations.
What is the registration fee?
Fees are tiered by expected headcount, ranging from ₹3,000 for up to 19 employees to ₹50,000 for establishments with 1,501 or more employees.
What happens if I miss the 60-day registration deadline?
A late fee of 25% per annum of the prescribed fee applies for the delayed period.
Do I need to issue formal appointment letters?
Yes. Every employee must receive an appointment letter in Form 4, containing the particulars specified in the rules, on or before starting work.
What are the timelines for reporting accidents or diseases?
Fatal accidents must be reported forthwith; disabling injuries (48+ hours) within 12 hours of that period ending; dangerous occurrences within 12 hours; and occupational diseases within 7 days of the employer becoming aware.
When is the annual return due?
On or before 1 February every year, in duplicate, in Form 11 (or within 15 days of season-end for seasonal factories).
What registers must an employer maintain?
Nine categories, including registers of adult and adolescent workers, muster roll, attendance, wages, leave-with-wages, overtime, and accidents/dangerous occurrences, generally preserved for five years.
When is a Safety Committee or Safety Officer mandatory?
A Safety Committee is required at 150 or more employees or for hazardous processes. A Safety Officer is required at 500 or more workers in a factory (250 or more for hazardous-process factories), or 250 or more workers on a construction site.
Sources
Where every fact on this page comes from.
- → Government of Himachal Pradesh, Department of Labour, Employment & Overseas Placement — Notification No. LEP-A003/10/2026 dated 22 May 2026 (official)
- → The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 (Act No. 37 of 2020), Ministry of Labour & Employment, Government of India (official)
- → PRS Legislative Research — summary of the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020
- → India Labour Codes tracker, status as of 9 July 2026
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.