The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (OSH&WC) Code, 2020 has been enacted after amalgamating of thirteen different labour legislations and to simplify the laws regulating the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions in establishments.
The Central Government has constituted Expert Committees comprising of industry and subject experts from both public and private sector across the country to review the existing rules and regulations on safety, health and working conditions standards, pertaining to factories, docks and construction work. The Expert Committees for Factories and Dock Works are constituted under Chairmanship of Dr. R. K. Elangovan, DG, DGFASLI, Mumbai. The other two Expert Committees for the Building & Other Construction Works and the Fire Safety are constituted under Chairmanship of P.L.N. Murthy, VP & Head Domestic Operations, L &T Hydrocarbon, Chennai and D. K. Shami, Fire Advisor to the Government of India, MHA respectively.
The details of existing rules and regulations including reasons for review are given as under:
| S. No.
|
Name of the Rules and Regulations
|
Year of framing of Rules and Regulations
|
Total No of Standard in form of Rules and Regulations
|
Reasons for review
|
| 1 | The Factories Rules framed under The Factories Act, 1948
|
1950
|
113
|
The existing standards in form of rules and regulations pertaining to factories, docks and construction works have not been reviewed since their last notification in 1950, 1990 and 1998 respectively and hence there is a pressing need to update them to meet the current requirements due to technological progress and system improvements.
|
| 2 | Dock Workers (Safety, Health Welfare) Regulations 1990 | 1990
|
102
|
2. To incorporate the advancements and progress made in the field of OSH&WC.
|
| 3 | The Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Central Rules, 1998
|
1998
|
196
|
3. To meet global standards in OSH&WC.
|
Santosh Gangwar, Minister of Labour & Employment said “considering the recent spurt in fire accidents at workplaces causing pain and agony to our workers and their families as well as huge losses to the national economy, a separate committee on fire safety standards has been formed so as to have a comprehensive and holistic approach for fire safety provisions presently provided under the above mentioned Rules and Regulations as well as to align the same with National Building Code, 2016.”
Gangwar further stressed that this process will pave the way for establishing uniform and updated standards of safety and health of workers throughout the country by regulatory compliances with pro-active participation of the stakeholders, and will result in conducive environment for enhancing the efficiency of workers in the establishments and will provide win-win environment to all stakeholders & productivity will increase multifold.