Notification Record & Forms
Notification details and the forms every employer needs, in one place.
- Issuing authority
- Department of Labour, Government of Punjab
- Notified
- 20 January 2026 (published in the Punjab Government Gazette Extraordinary on 22 January 2026)
- Objection window
- 30 days from publication, closing around 21 February 2026
- Legal basis
- Sections 133 and 135 of the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 (Central Act No. 37 of 2020)
- Supersedes
- The Punjab Factory Rules 1952; Punjab Control of Industrial Major Accident Hazards Rules 1993; Punjab Welfare Officers (Recruitment and Conditions of Service) Rules 1952; Punjab Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Rules 2008; Punjab Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Rules 1973; Inter State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) (Punjab) Rules 1983; Punjab Motor Transport Workers Rules 1963
- Status as of
- 20 July 2026, still in draft, final notification pending
The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 became effective across India on 21 November 2025, and every state now has to write its own rules under that Code. Punjab's draft, released on 20 January 2026, is its version. Instead of a factory following one rule, a contractor following another, and an interstate migrant worker provision sitting in a third, everything moves under one set of rules with one registration, one portal, and mostly one annual return. This guide walks through what the draft actually requires an employer to do, once it is finally notified.
Forms under the State Rules
Due Dates
Compliance deadlines, forms and how often each one recurs.
| Compliance | Form | Compliance Frequency | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registration of a new establishment | Form I | One time, before commencing work | Certificate issued within 7 working days of a complete application, or deemed registered automatically |
| Updating registration held under old laws | Form I (update) | One time transition step | Within 6 months of the Code coming into force |
| Notice of commencement or completion of work | Form IV | Event based | Within 30 days of the event |
| Health examination, workers above 40 | Form V | Annual | Within 120 days from the start of the calendar year |
| Health examination, hazardous process workers | Form V | Twice yearly | Within 30 days of 1 January and 1 July |
| Notice of fatal accident | Form VII | Event based | Within 12 hours of the accident |
| Confirmation report of accident | Form VII | Event based | Within 24 hours of the accident |
| Report of a disabling injury (48 hours or more) | Form VII | Event based | Within 24 hours after the 48 hour disability period ends |
| Notice of dangerous occurrence | Form VII | Event based | Within 12 hours of the occurrence |
| Notice of a notified disease | Form VIII | Event based | Forthwith on the disease coming to notice |
| Action taken report after remedial steps | Form X | Event based | Within 24 hours of the remedial action |
| Appointment letter to a new employee | Prescribed format under Rule 9 | One time per employee | On or before the date of joining; existing staff within 3 months of the rule coming into force |
| Annual Return | Form XVIII | Annual | On or before 28 February following the end of the calendar year |
| Half yearly return by contractor | Form XVIIA | Half yearly | Within 30 days of the half year closing (around 30 July and 30 January) |
| Monthly return, hazardous process factories | Form XXXVI | Monthly | By the date notified by the State Government |
| Contract labour license renewal | Form XXI | Before expiry of current license | Application to be made before the license lapses |
| Common license renewal (factory, beedi, contract labour) | Form XXX | Annual, renewable up to 5 years | Before expiry; the authority must decide within 21 days or it is deemed renewed |
| Stability certificate renewal | Form XXXIV | Every 10 years (5 years for the factories listed under Rule 100) | Before expiry of the current certificate |
| Grievance redressal for contract labour | Not applicable | Event based | To be resolved within 1 month of the grievance being raised |
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 | Seven separate rules covering factories, hazardous units, welfare officers, construction workers, contract labour, interstate migrants, and motor transport workers | One unified set of rules under the OSH Code, 2020 |
| Registration | Separate registration under each applicable law, largely paper based | Single electronic registration in Form I on the state portal, covering every category the establishment falls under |
| Factory threshold | 10 or more workers where power is used, 20 or more where it is not | 20 or more workers where power is used, 40 or more where it is not |
| Contract labour threshold | 20 or more contract workers | 50 or more contract workers |
| License | Separate licenses for the factory, for beedi or cigar work, and for engaging contract labour | Option of one common license covering all three, or separate licenses if preferred |
| Returns | Multiple periodic returns filed separately under each old law | One annual integrated return (Form XVIII), plus a half yearly return from contractors |
| Registers and records | Physical paper registers were mandatory | Registers may be kept electronically or physically |
| Health checkups | No blanket requirement for periodic free health checkups | Mandatory free annual checkup for workers above 40, twice yearly for hazardous process workers |
| Appointment letters | Not mandatory under the erstwhile Factories Act | Mandatory written appointment letter for every employee, in a prescribed format |
| Approval timelines | No fixed statutory timeline for many approvals | Time bound approvals: 7 working days for registration, 21 days for license or renewal, deemed approval if the deadline is missed |
| Handling of offences | Largely prosecution oriented | Enquiry and compounding route introduced, with an opportunity to comply before prosecution begins |
| Establishment name board | No script specific requirement | Must be displayed in Punjabi, in Gurmukhi script, shown more prominently than any other language used |
Applicability
Who the Code covers, and who gets special or exempt treatment.
Covered
- Factories employing 20 or more workers where power is used, or 40 or more where it is not
- Building and other construction work establishments
- Establishments engaging 50 or more contract workers, and contractors engaging 50 or more contract workers
- Establishments employing interstate migrant workers
- Motor transport undertakings
- Beedi and cigar manufacturing establishments
- Audio visual production establishments and the workers engaged on them
- Establishments carrying on hazardous or dangerous processes listed in the First Schedule of the Code, generally covered regardless of size
Exempted / special treatment
- Offices of the Central Government and the State Government, where that Government is itself the principal employer
- Establishments below the worker threshold prescribed for that category
- Contractors engaging fewer than 50 contract workers, other than the half yearly return requirement
- Apprentices engaged under the Apprentices Act, 1961
- Mines, which are governed separately under the mine specific provisions of the Code
- Establishments already registered or licensed under the old rules get a 6 month transition window under Rule 149 before they must move to the new system
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to what employers ask us most about this rule.
What are the Punjab Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Rules 2025?
These are the draft rules the Punjab Labour Department has written to implement the central OSH Code, 2020 at the state level. They bring registration, licensing, returns, and welfare requirements for factories, construction sites, contract labour, interstate migrant workers, and motor transport establishments under one framework, replacing seven older Punjab specific rules.
Have these rules actually come into force yet?
Not yet. They were published as draft rules on 22 January 2026 and the 30 day objection window closed in late February 2026. As of 20 July 2026 the Punjab Government has not issued a final notification, so employers should continue following the existing seven rules until that happens.
Which older rules do these draft rules replace?
Seven rules in total: the Punjab Factory Rules 1952, the Punjab Control of Industrial Major Accident Hazards Rules 1993, the Punjab Welfare Officers Rules 1952, the Punjab Building and Other Construction Workers Rules 2008, the Punjab Contract Labour Rules 1973, the Inter State Migrant Workmen (Punjab) Rules 1983, and the Punjab Motor Transport Workers Rules 1963.
Who needs to register under the Punjab OSH Rules 2025?
Factories with 20 or more workers using power (or 40 or more without power), building and construction establishments, establishments engaging 50 or more contract workers, employers of interstate migrant workers, motor transport undertakings, and beedi or cigar manufacturing units all fall under the registration requirement.
How does an employer apply for registration?
The application goes online, in Form I, on the Punjab Labour Department portal, along with proof of identity, address, and PAN details. The application is digitally signed and does not require a physical visit.
What happens if the registration certificate is not issued on time?
The rules give the registering officer 7 working days from a complete application. If that deadline passes, the establishment is treated as automatically registered and the certificate is auto generated.
Is there a single license covering the factory, beedi work, and contract labour together?
Yes. Rule 144 allows an employer to apply for one common license covering a factory, beedi or cigar work, and contract labour engagement, instead of taking three separate licenses. A single license option remains available too, for whichever category applies.
What returns does an employer need to file, and how often?
The main filing is the Annual Return in Form XVIII, due by 28 February every year. Contractors additionally file a half yearly return. Factories running hazardous processes also file a monthly return.
Is a free medical checkup mandatory for every employee?
It is mandatory for employees above 40 years, who must get a free annual checkup within 120 days of the year starting. Anyone handling a hazardous substance or hazardous process gets a checkup every 6 months, irrespective of age.
What is an employer expected to do right after a workplace accident?
A fatal accident has to be reported within 12 hours to the Inspector cum Facilitator, the District or Sub Divisional Magistrate, the police, and the family of the deceased. A written confirmation in Form VII follows within 24 hours. Injuries that keep a worker off work for 48 hours or more are also reportable, within 24 hours of that 48 hour period ending.
Sources
Where every fact on this page comes from.
- → Punjab Government Gazette Extraordinary, 22 January 2026, Notification No. Labour LabOMISC/16/2026 4L/14, Department of Labour, Government of Punjab
- → The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 (Central Act No. 37 of 2020)
- → Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India, Final Notification of the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Central) Rules, 2026, G.S.R. 345(E), dated 8 May 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.