Notification Record & Forms
Notification details and the forms every employer needs, in one place.
- Issuing authority
- Government of Kerala, Labour and Skills (D) Department
- Notified
- 15 December 2021 (published in the Kerala Gazette Extraordinary, Vol. X, No. 3695, dated 17 December 2021)
- Objection window
- 45 days from the date the Gazette copies were made available to the public (this window has since closed)
- Legal basis
- Sections 133 and 135 of the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 (Central Act 37 of 2020), read with Section 24 of the General Clauses Act, 1897
- Supersedes
- 10 earlier Kerala rules — see full list below
- Status as of
- 21 July 2026 — Draft; final notification pending
If you run a factory, a construction site, a plantation, or any establishment in Kerala that engages contract labour, inter-state migrant workers, audio-visual workers, or beedi and cigar workers, this set of rules will eventually decide how you register your business, which registers you keep, and which forms you file. The Kerala Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Rules, 2021 bring together ten separate older rules — covering factories, building and construction workers, contract labour, plantations, motor transport, and beedi and cigar workers — into a single rulebook framed under the central Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020. This guide walks through the forms, deadlines, and key provisions employers actually need, and flags where the new system changes from the old one.
Forms under the State Rules
Due Dates
Compliance deadlines, forms and how often each one recurs.
| Compliance | Form | Compliance Frequency | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Register a new establishment | Form I | One-time | Certificate is auto-generated if not issued within 7 days of a complete application |
| Update registration for establishments already registered under earlier laws | Form I | One-time (transitional) | Within 6 months of the OSH Code coming into force |
| Report any change in registration particulars | Form I | As and when it occurs | Within 30 days of the change |
| Notify commencement or cessation of operations | Form III | Event-based | Within 30 days of commencement or cessation |
| Issue appointment letters to existing employees who don't have one | One-time (transitional) | Within 3 months of the rule coming into force | |
| Report a disabling injury (worker off duty 48+ hours) | Form VII | Event-based | Within 24 hours after the 48-hour disability period is completed |
| Report a fatal accident | Form VII | Event-based | By phone immediately; written notice within 24 hours |
| Report a dangerous occurrence | Form VII | Event-based | Within 12 hours |
| Report a notified occupational disease | Event-based | Within 48 hours | |
| Issue wage slips | Form XVI | Monthly | Every wage period |
| File the Unified Annual Return | Form XVIII | Annual | Not later than 1 February following the end of the calendar year (the form itself specifies 28/29 February — confirm the final date once notified) |
| Contractor to intimate receipt of a work order | Event-based | Within 15 days of receiving the work order | |
| Provide plantation housing as per approved scheme | One-time | Within 6 months of standards being approved |
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 rules | 10 separate Kerala rules for factories, construction workers, contract labour, plantations, motor transport and beedi workers | One consolidated rulebook — the Kerala OSH Rules, covering all these sectors |
| Registration | Separate registration/licence under each law, largely paper-based | Single electronic registration on the portal (Form I), with deemed approval in 7 days |
| Annual returns | Multiple separate returns filed under each law | One Unified Annual Return (Form XVIII) covering the OSH, Industrial Relations, Wages and Social Security Codes |
| Factory worker threshold | 10 workers with power / 20 without power | 20 workers with power / 40 without power under the Code (registration under Chapter II of the state rules still applies from 10 workers) |
| Contract labour licensing threshold | 20 or more contract workers | 50 or more contract workers |
| Appointment letters | Not mandatory under most of the earlier rules | Mandatory for every employee (Rule 7) |
| Registers and records | Maintained manually on paper | Maintained electronically (Rule 35); manual registers allowed only with prior permission |
| Safety Officer facilities | No specific requirement under the Kerala Factories Rules, 1957 | Rule 27 requires employers to provide Safety Officers with facilities to do their job |
| Licence cancellation for fraud | No explicit provision | Rule 80 allows cancellation of a factory licence obtained by fraud or misrepresentation |
| Social security for unorganised workers | No dedicated fund under the earlier rules | Rule 152 sets up a dedicated Social Security Fund |
| Night work for women | Restricted under the Factories Rules, 1957 and related rules | Permitted under the OSH Code with the worker's consent and safety conditions, subject to state notification |
Applicability
Who the Code covers, and who gets special or exempt treatment.
Covered
- Factories with 20+ workers using power, or 40+ without power (registration under Chapter II applies from 10+ workers)
- Establishments in industry, trade, business, manufacture or occupation with 10 or more workers
- Building and other construction works with 10 or more workers
- Plantations with 10 or more workers
- Motor transport undertakings with 10 or more workers
- Contractors/principal employers engaging 50 or more contract workers (licensing); core safety and welfare duties apply from 10 workers
- Inter-state migrant workers engaged through a contractor
- Audio-visual/cine workers, and beedi & cigar industrial premises
- Mines, ports and dock work — no minimum worker threshold
Exempted / special treatment
- New establishments may be exempted for a notified period, in the public interest, under Section 127 of the Code
- Establishments below the prescribed worker threshold generally fall outside the factory- or contract-labour-specific chapters
- Government/notified establishments or classes of establishments specifically exempted by Central or State notification
- Temporary exemptions possible during a public emergency, disaster or pandemic under Section 128 of the Code
- Hazardous or life-threatening activities notified by the Central Government are covered regardless of any worker-count threshold
- Persons in a purely managerial/administrative capacity, or apprentices engaged under the Apprentices Act, 1961, generally fall outside the Code's definition of 'worker'
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to what employers ask us most about this rule.
What is the Kerala Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Rules, 2021?
It's a draft set of state rules that operationalises the central Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 in Kerala. It merges ten older Kerala labour rules — covering factories, construction, contract labour, plantations, motor transport, and beedi and cigar work — into one rulebook.
Are the Kerala OSH Rules, 2021 currently in force?
Not yet. They were published as a draft in December 2021 and, as of this writing, no final notification has been issued. The central OSH Code itself, however, has been in force across India since 21 November 2025.
Which older Kerala rules do these rules replace?
Ten rules in total, including the Kerala Factories Rules, 1957, the Kerala BOCW Rules, 1998, the Kerala Contract Labour Rules, 1971, the Kerala Plantation Labour Rules, 1959, and the Kerala Beedi and Cigar Workers Rules, 1968. The full list appears earlier in this guide.
Who needs to register under the Kerala OSH Rules?
Broadly, any establishment engaged in industry, trade, business, manufacture, construction, or plantation work with 10 or more workers, along with factories, contractors, and mines, ports or dock operations regardless of size.
How does an employer register an establishment, and how long does it take?
The employer applies electronically in Form I on the portal. If the application is complete, the registering officer must issue the certificate immediately, or within 7 days at the latest — after which the establishment is deemed registered automatically.
What is Form I used for?
Form I is the application for registration of an establishment, and it's also used to amend an existing registration certificate when establishment details change.
What is the deadline for filing the Annual Return in Form XVIII?
Rule 37 requires the return to reach the Inspector-cum-Facilitator not later than 1 February following the end of each calendar year, though the form's own instructions mention 28/29 February — employers should confirm the exact date once the rules are finally notified.
Is an appointment letter compulsory for every employee?
Yes. Rule 7 requires every employee to be issued a written appointment letter with details like wages, designation, UAN/ESIC number and date of joining.
Within what time must an employer report a workplace accident?
It depends on severity: dangerous occurrences must be reported within 12 hours, fatal accidents within 24 hours (after an immediate phone call), and injuries causing 48+ hours of disability within 24 hours of that 48-hour period ending.
What registers must every employer maintain electronically?
Under Rule 35, employers must maintain registers for wages and deductions, accidents and dangerous occurrences, leave with wages, adult/adolescent workers, and a muster roll, among others — all preserved for at least 5 years.
What is the worker threshold for a “factory” under these rules?
Under the OSH Code, a factory generally means a premises employing 20 or more workers using power, or 40 or more without power. Registration under Chapter II of the Kerala rules, however, applies from 10 workers regardless of this factory threshold.
What is the licensing threshold for engaging contract labour?
A contractor or principal employer generally needs a licence once 50 or more contract workers are engaged — up from 20 under the earlier Contract Labour Rules. Core safety and welfare duties, though, apply from 10 workers.
What happens if an employer fails to comply — what are the penalties?
Under the parent Code, a general contravention with no specific penalty prescribed can draw a fine of ₹2–3 lakh on the employer. Obstructing an inspector can mean up to 3 months' imprisonment or a fine up to ₹1 lakh, and an offence resulting in a worker's death can draw up to 2 years' imprisonment or a fine up to ₹5 lakh, or both. Employees who violate provisions face a fine of up to ₹10,000.
Sources
Where every fact on this page comes from.
- → Government of Kerala, Labour and Skills (D) Department — Draft Notification LBRD-D2/395/2020-LBR, dated 15 December 2021, Kerala Gazette Extraordinary, Vol. X, No. 3695 (official)
- → Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 (Central Act 37 of 2020) (official)
- → Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Central) Rules, 2026, Notification G.S.R. 345(E) dated 8 May 2026 — Ministry of Labour and Employment (official)
- → PRS Legislative Research — Bill Track: The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020
- → Kerala Labour Commissionerate — Government Orders and Circulars (official)
- → TeamLease RegTech — regulatory update on the Draft Kerala Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Rules, 2021
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.