Notification Record & Forms
Notification details and the forms every employer needs, in one place.
- Issuing authority
- Department of Labour, Employment and Skill Development, Government of Meghalaya
- Notified
- Draft Notification No. LE&SD.39/2024/21 dated Shillong, 3 January 2025, published in the Meghalaya Gazette on 9 January 2025
- Objection window
- Forty five days from the date the Official Gazette copies were made available to the public, addressed to the Deputy Secretary, Department of Labour, Employment and Skill Development
- Legal basis
- Sections 133 and 135 of the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 (Act No. 37 of 2020)
- Supersedes
- Nine existing laws, including the Meghalaya Factories Rules 1980, the Meghalaya Control of Industrial Major Accident Hazards Rules 1994, the Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Rules adapted from Assam, the Motor Transport Workers Rules adapted from Assam, the Beedi and Cigar Workers (Condition of Employment) Rules adapted from Assam, the Inter State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Meghalaya Rules 1985 and its 1999 amendment, the Plantations Labour Rules 1956 adapted from Assam, and the Meghalaya Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Rules 2008
- Status as of
- 23 July 2026, still at draft stage, not yet finalised or brought into force
The Draft Meghalaya Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Rules, 2024 are the state government's proposed rulebook under the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020. Once finalised, they will replace nine existing laws that currently govern factories, contract labour, migrant workers, beedi and cigar work, and building and construction work in Meghalaya.
This guide breaks down the forms employers must file, the due dates that matter, the key provisions that change the most for a typical employer, how the new rules compare with the old laws, who is covered, and what penalties apply.
This is still a draft. The Meghalaya government published it for public feedback on 3 January 2025 and the forty five day objection window has since closed, but a separate final notification confirming Meghalaya has adopted the rules could not be located as of 23 July 2026.
Forms under the State Rules
Due Dates
Compliance deadlines, forms and how often each one recurs.
| Compliance | Form | Compliance Frequency | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Register the establishment | Form 04 | One time, before starting work | Before commencement of business, or within six months of these rules coming into force for establishments already registered under an earlier law |
| Notify commencement of operations | Form 08 | One time per establishment | Within fifteen days of the date of commencement |
| Notify cessation of operations | Form 08 | One time per establishment | At least sixty days before the date of cessation, with a certificate that all worker dues are cleared |
| Update registration on any change | Form 04 portal update | As and when a change occurs | Within thirty days of the change in ownership, management or particulars |
| Record and submit annual health examination | Form 09 | Annual, and once before employment for hazardous processes | Submitted every year to the Inspector cum Facilitator |
| Report a fatal or disabling accident | Form 11 | Event based | Within four hours of occurrence, by telephone or special messenger |
| Confirm accident report in writing | Form 11 | Event based | Within forty eight hours of the occurrence |
| Report death following an earlier disablement | Form 11 | Event based | Within forty eight hours after the death occurs |
| Issue wage slips | Form 17 | Every wage period | At least one day before payment of wages |
| File the unified annual return | Form 18 | Annual | On or before 28 or 29 February each year |
| File the monthly return for beedi and cigar work | Form 35 | Monthly | On or before the tenth day of every month |
| File the annual return for beedi and cigar work | Form 36 | Annual | On or before 30 April each year |
| Apply for a contractor licence | Form 24 | One time, per project or licence term | Before engaging contract labour |
| Renew a contractor licence | Form 24 | Once per licence term | Before the existing licence expires |
| Intimate a work order received as a contractor | Form 28 | Event based | Within fifteen days of receiving the work order |
| Notify change of factory manager | Form 44 | Event based | At least two months before the change takes effect |
| Act on Safety Committee recommendations | Event based | Within fifteen days of receiving the recommendations | |
| Respond to a third party safety audit report | Form appended to Rule 46 | Event based, on a one or two year audit cycle depending on hazard category | Within thirty days of receiving the safety audit report |
| Apply to compound an offence | Form 53 | Event based | Filed with the concerned officer, who decides within seven days |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Number of applicable laws | Nine separate laws, including the Meghalaya Factories Rules 1980, the Contract Labour Rules, the Motor Transport Workers Rules and other laws adapted from Assam | One unified set of rules under the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code 2020, covering factories, contract labour, migrant workers, beedi and cigar work, audio visual work and plantations |
| Registration | A separate registration was required under each applicable law | A single online registration for the establishment, covering every activity to which the Code applies |
| Licence for factories, beedi work and contractors | Separate licences issued under separate laws | A common licence in Form 34 can cover factory operation, beedi or cigar work and contract labour engagement together |
| Inspection | Different inspectors appointed under each individual law | A single Inspector cum Facilitator appointed for the establishment, with a defined inspection scheme |
| Safety Committee | Not a uniform requirement across establishment types under the earlier laws | Mandatory for hazardous process establishments and larger factories or establishments across every covered sector |
| Third party safety audit | No structured third party audit requirement under the earlier Meghalaya Factories Rules | A mandatory third party safety audit on a fixed one or two year cycle depending on hazard category |
| Records and returns | Different registers and return formats prescribed separately under each of the nine laws | Standardised forms and a Unified Annual Return in Form 18 across establishment types |
| Penalty structure | Penalties fixed separately, and often at older, lower amounts, under each of the nine earlier laws | A uniform penalty structure under the Code, ranging from about ten thousand rupees for individual lapses up to three lakh rupees for general contraventions by an employer |
Applicability
Who the Code covers, and who gets special or exempt treatment.
Covered
- Factories using power and employing ten or more workers, or not using power and employing twenty or more workers
- Building and other construction work establishments
- Establishments engaging contract labour, inter state migrant workers, or beedi and cigar workers
- Plantations and audio visual production establishments
Exempted / special treatment
- Offices of the Central Government and offices of the State Government are excluded from the Code altogether
- Small factories below the notified worker threshold are exempt from the written Health and Safety Policy requirement under Rule 92, unless they carry out a hazardous process
- Establishments already registered under one of the nine earlier laws get a transition window to update their registration on the new portal once these rules are notified
- A Safety Committee is compulsory only above defined worker thresholds or for hazardous process establishments, not for every single establishment covered by the Code
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to what employers ask us most about this rule.
What is the Meghalaya Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Rules 2024?
It is the draft state rulebook that Meghalaya has framed under the central Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020. Once finalised, it will govern registration, working conditions, safety, records and penalties for factories, construction sites, plantations and other covered establishments across the state.
Is this rule already in force in Meghalaya?
No. It is still a draft as of 23 July 2026. The Meghalaya government published it for public comment on 3 January 2025 and the objection window has closed, but the final notification has not yet appeared in the Official Gazette.
Which establishments will these rules apply to once notified?
Factories, building and other construction work, plantations, beedi and cigar manufacturing premises, audio visual production, and any establishment engaging contract labour or inter state migrant workers within Meghalaya.
What laws will these rules replace?
Nine existing laws, including the Meghalaya Factories Rules 1980, the Meghalaya Control of Industrial Major Accident Hazards Rules 1994, the Contract Labour Rules and the Plantations Labour Rules adapted from Assam, and the Meghalaya Building and Other Construction Workers Rules 2008, among others.
Do we need to register again if our establishment is already registered under the Factories Act or another existing law?
The draft gives establishments already registered under one of the nine earlier laws a window of six months from the date the new rules come into force to update their particulars on the new registration portal, rather than starting a fresh registration from scratch.
How much is the establishment registration fee?
The fee is graded by the number of employees, starting at one thousand rupees for establishments with up to twenty employees and rising in slabs up to fifteen thousand rupees for establishments with more than five thousand employees. A late fee of twenty five percent per year applies if registration is delayed.
What is the deadline to report a workplace accident?
A fatal or disabling accident must be reported by phone or messenger within four hours of the occurrence, and confirmed in writing to the Inspector cum Facilitator in Form 11 within forty eight hours.
Is a Safety Committee mandatory for every establishment?
No. It is mandatory for major accident hazard factories, hazardous process establishments with fifty or more employees, factories or construction sites with two hundred fifty or more employees, and other establishments with five hundred or more employees. Smaller establishments are not required to set one up under this rule.
How often is a third party safety audit required?
General category factories need one once every two years. Factories carrying out a hazardous process, and major accident hazard factories, need one every year, with a compliance report due to the Inspector within thirty days of receiving the audit findings.
What is the last date for filing the annual return?
The Unified Annual Return in Form 18 is due on or before 28 or 29 February each year, covering the particulars of the preceding year.
Can a contractor get one combined licence instead of separate licences?
Yes. The draft allows a common licence in Form 34 that can cover factory operation, beedi or cigar work and contract labour engagement together, replacing the separate licences required under the earlier laws.
What happens if we do not maintain the prescribed registers or file returns on time?
Under Section 96 of the Code, this can attract a penalty of fifty thousand to one lakh rupees, rising to as much as two lakh rupees on a repeat conviction, in addition to any other action the Inspector cum Facilitator may take.
Where can objections or suggestions on the draft be submitted?
The draft notification directed objections and suggestions to the Deputy Secretary, Government of Meghalaya, Department of Labour, Employment and Skill Development, Secretariat Hills, Shillong, or by email, within forty five days of the gazette copies being made public. That window has already closed, so any fresh representations would need to go through whatever process the department opens when the final rules are next placed for comment.
Sources
Where every fact on this page comes from.
- → Draft Meghalaya Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Rules, 2024, Department of Labour, Employment and Skill Development, Government of Meghalaya (official)
- → Draft Notification No. LE&SD.39/2024/21 dated 3 January 2025, meglc.gov.in (official)
- → The Gazette of Meghalaya dated 9 January 2025, megpns.gov.in (official)
- → The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 (Act No. 37 of 2020), Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India (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.