Notification Record & Forms
Notification details and the forms every employer needs, in one place.
- Issuing authority
- Labour Department, Government of Karnataka
- Notified
- Draft published 23 January 2026, Notification No. LD 245 LET 2021, Karnataka Gazette Part IV A, No. 99
- Objection window
- 45 days from publication, closed 9 March 2026
- Legal basis
- Sections 133 and 135, read with clause (a) of section 137, of the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020, Central Act No. 37 of 2020
- Supersedes
- Karnataka rules framed under the Factories Act 1948, the Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act 1970, the Inter State Migrant Workmen Act 1979, the Building and Other Construction Workers Act 1996, the Plantations Labour Act 1951, the Beedi and Cigar Workers Act 1966 and the Motor Transport Workers Act 1961, once the OSH Code takes effect in the state
- Status as of 20 July 2026
- Draft, awaiting final notification
On 23 January 2026, the Karnataka Labour Department published the draft Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Karnataka) Rules, 2026, running to 154 rules across 13 chapters. The draft operationalises the central Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 at the state level, replacing separate registrations and returns under the earlier Factories, Contract Labour, Beedi and Cigar Workers, and Building and Other Construction Workers Acts with a single online registration, a single integrated annual return and a facilitation first inspection regime. This guide sets out which forms employers need to file, when the compliance deadlines fall, what changes from the old law, who the rules cover, and how penalties and appeals work.
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 IA / IB | One time | Within 60 days of the Code becoming applicable; Late fee of 10 percent up to 30 days, 20 percent up to 60 days, 40 percent thereafter |
| Notice of commencement or cessation | Form IV | Event based | 30 days before commencement or cessation of operations |
| Update of registration particulars | - | Event based | Within 30 days of the change |
| Intimation of closure | - | Event based | Within 30 days of the decision to close |
| Appointment letter | Form VI | Per employee | At the time of engagement; Existing staff within 3 months of the rules coming into force |
| Experience certificate | Form VII | Event based | Within 7 days of cessation of employment |
| Annual health examination | Form V | Annual | Within 120 days of the start of the calendar year; For workers aged 40 and above |
| Notice of fatal accident | Form VIII | Event based | Forthwith by telephone; Confirmed in writing within 12 hours |
| Notice of accident, 48 hours or more disability | Form VIII | Event based | Within 12 hours of completion of the 48 hour disability period |
| Notice of dangerous occurrence | Form VIII | Event based | Within 12 hours of the occurrence |
| Notice of disease | Prescribed format | Event based | Forthwith, without delay |
| Annual return | Form XIII | Annual | On or before 1 February following the calendar year |
| Monthly return, beedi and cigar works | Form XXVII | Monthly | On or before the 10th of every month |
| Annual return, beedi and cigar works | Form XXVIII | Annual | On or before 31 January every year |
| Journey allowance, inter state migrant workers | Form XXIII | Once every 12 months | On completion of 180 days of service in the preceding 12 months |
| Preservation of statutory registers | Forms XII, XIV, XV | Ongoing | Retained for 3 calendar years after the last entry |
| Contractor licence renewal | Form XVIII / XXV | Before expiry | At least 45 days before the licence expires |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Registration | Separate registrations under the Factories Act, the Contract Labour Act, the Inter State Migrant Workmen Act, the Building and Other Construction Workers Act and the Beedi and Cigar Workers Act | A single online registration, Form IA for most establishments or Form IB for factories, common across establishment types |
| Returns | Separate periodic returns filed under each labour enactment | A single integrated annual return, Form XIII, covering the OSH Code, the Industrial Relations Code, the Social Security Code and the Code on Wages, filed online by 1 February |
| Contract labour threshold | The Contract Labour Act applied once an establishment engaged 20 or more contract workers | The threshold is raised to 50 or more contract workers before the contract labour provisions apply |
| Inspections | An Inspector with primarily punitive powers under the earlier labour Acts | An Inspector cum Facilitator who must facilitate compliance before initiating penalty proceedings, supported by a web based, largely random inspection scheme |
| Appointment letters | Not uniformly mandatory across sectors under the earlier Acts | A written appointment letter, Form VI, is mandatory for every employee in every covered establishment |
| Women in night shifts | Restricted, or permitted only with special state exemption, under the Factories Act | Explicitly permitted, subject to consent and the prescribed safety and welfare safeguards in Rule 55 |
| Welfare facilities for contract workers | Contractor generally responsible, with the principal employer able to recover costs | Principal employer is directly responsible for on site welfare facilities for contract labour |
| Resolving violations | Prosecution was often the first recourse for procedural lapses | Facilitation and compounding are prioritised; prosecution follows only after a compliance notice is ignored |
Applicability
Who the Code covers, and who gets special or exempt treatment.
Covered
- Any establishment engaging 10 or more workers in a trade, business or occupation (Form IA registration)
- Factories using power driven machinery with 10 or more workers, or without power with 20 or more workers (Form IB registration)
- Plantations, motor transport undertakings, building and other construction work, audio visual production establishments and newspaper establishments
- Beedi and cigar industrial premises, including home workers engaged in the manufacturing process
- Contractors engaging 50 or more contract workers in an establishment
- Employers engaging inter state migrant workers
- Establishments employing women during night shifts, subject to the safeguards in Rule 55
Exempted / special treatment
- Establishments below the applicable worker threshold fall outside the registration requirement in Rule 4
- The Chief Inspector cum Facilitator may, by written order, exempt a specific hazardous factory or category of factories from all or specified provisions where compliance is found impracticable (Rule 50)
- A Safety Committee is mandatory only above defined thresholds: generally 100 or more workers, 500 or more in factories, and 250 or more in hazardous process factories or in building and construction work
- An ambulance room is mandatory only for mines and for building and construction work employing more than 500 workers
- A crèche is mandatory only where 50 or more workers are employed
- A canteen is mandatory only where 100 or more workers, including contract labour, are ordinarily employed
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to what employers ask us most about this rule.
Is the Karnataka OSH Rules, 2026 already in force?
No. As of this writing they remain a draft published for objections and suggestions. The objection window closed on 9 March 2026, and the final notification is awaited.
Which establishments must register under the draft rules?
Any establishment engaging 10 or more workers in a trade, business or occupation must apply in Form IA, including plantations, motor transport undertakings, building and construction work, audio visual production and newspaper establishments. Factories apply separately in Form IB.
Where do employers apply for registration?
Most establishments apply through labouronline.karnataka.gov.in. Factories apply through esuraksha.karnataka.gov.in, the portal of the Department of Factories, Boilers, Industrial Safety and Health.
What happens if registration is not filed within 60 days?
A late fee applies: 10 percent of the registration fee for delays up to 30 days, 20 percent up to 60 days, and 40 percent for delays beyond 60 days.
Is an appointment letter mandatory for every employee?
Yes. No employee may be engaged without a written appointment letter in Form VI. Employees already in service without one must be issued a letter within 3 months of the rules coming into force.
Who needs an annual health examination?
Workers aged 40 and above in factories, building and construction work, beedi and cigar work, plantations and motor transport undertakings, examined free of cost within 120 days of the start of the calendar year.
How quickly must a fatal workplace accident be reported?
Forthwith, by telephone, to the Inspector cum Facilitator, the police and the family of the deceased, followed by written confirmation in Form VIII within 12 hours.
When is the annual return due?
On or before 1 February following the end of each calendar year, filed online in Form XIII as a single integrated return covering the OSH Code, the Industrial Relations Code, the Social Security Code and the Code on Wages.
Can women be employed in night shifts under the draft rules?
Yes, subject to conditions such as written consent, safe transport, adequate lighting and security, a functioning internal complaints committee, and restrictions on pregnant women in hazardous operations.
At what worker strength does a Safety Committee become mandatory?
Generally at 100 or more workers, with different thresholds for specific categories: 500 or more in factories, and 250 or more in hazardous process factories or in building and construction work.
Sources
Where every fact on this page comes from.
- → Draft Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Karnataka) Rules, 2026, Notification No. LD 245 LET 2021 dated 23 January 2026, Karnataka Gazette Part IV A, No. 99, Labour Department, Government of Karnataka
- → Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020, Central Act No. 37 of 2020
- → Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Central) Rules, 2026, Notification No. G.S.R. 345(E) dated 8 May 2026, Ministry of Labour and Employment
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.