Workplace Health and Safety

Module Scope

1. Does the organisation meet the workplace health and safety responsibilities applicable to its establishments, workers and activities?
2. Does the organisation effectively manage health and safety risks arising from hazardous substances, regulated equipment and higher-risk activities?
3. Does the organisation provide safe and healthy working conditions and appropriate protection for workers and other persons affected by its activities?
4. Does the organisation meet the safety and emergency preparedness responsibilities applicable to its workplaces, equipment, transport, construction and specialist operations?

Module Application

The India Workplace Health and Safety module provides information to organisations about workplace health and safety responsibilities arising from their establishments and activities in India. The module covers general workplace governance, worker health and welfare, hazardous substances and major accident risks, regulated equipment and pressure systems, electrical and fire safety, specialist and sector-specific operations, workplace transport, construction activities, and disaster and emergency preparedness.

The regulatory framework reflected in the module includes the principal Indian workplace health and safety framework together with Central, State and Union Territory requirements where applicable. It also incorporates specialist regimes applying to particular hazards, equipment and activities. The requirements applying to an organisation depend on factors including the appropriate Government for the establishment, its location and type, workforce numbers, activities undertaken, equipment and substances used, and applicable statutory thresholds.

The India Workplace Health and Safety module provides information to organisations about how to comply with legal responsibilities when dealing with the following:

• establishment registration, licensing, approvals and workplace safety governance;
• workplace health, hygiene, welfare, first aid, medical facilities and health surveillance;
• workplace accidents, dangerous occurrences and occupational disease reporting;
• workplace health and safety records, returns and regulatory inspections;
• safety and welfare protections for workers, including requirements applying to particular groups and working arrangements;
• hazardous chemicals, major accident hazards, emergency planning, hazard communication, accidental releases and public liability insurance;
• petroleum storage, transport and associated safety requirements;
• boilers, pressure vessels, gas cylinders and battery energy storage systems;
• electrical installations and workplace electrical safety;
• fire and life safety requirements applying under relevant State, Union Territory and local regimes;
• mining, oil-mine, explosives and radiation activities where those specialist regimes apply;
• workplace vehicles and transport safety;
• building and other construction work, including applicable worker welfare cess requirements; and
• disaster and emergency response responsibilities.

The India Workplace Health and Safety module also comprehensively covers requirements arising under key frameworks and instruments identified in the module, including:

• the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 and applicable Central, State and Union Territory requirements;
• the Electricity Act, 2003 and electrical safety regulations;
• the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and requirements governing hazardous chemicals and chemical accidents;
• the Petroleum Act, 1934 and associated petroleum requirements;
• the Explosives Act, 1884 and associated explosives requirements;
• the Boilers Act, 2025 and associated boiler requirements;
• the Public Liability Insurance Act, 1991;
• the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 and associated vehicle requirements;
• the Code on Social Security, 2020 where relevant to building and other construction worker welfare cess;
• the Disaster Management Act, 2005;
• mining and oil-mine safety regulations;
• radiation safety requirements under the atomic energy framework; and
• relevant State, Union Territory and local fire, building and workplace safety requirements.

Applicability is determined by the organisation's establishments and activities rather than by a single universal set of requirements. The module distinguishes between requirements of general application and requirements triggered by matters such as establishment type and location, workforce size, regulated equipment, hazardous substances and quantities, construction activities, mining and oil-mine operations, petroleum or explosives activities, radiation installations, building characteristics and other statutory thresholds. The module also recognises the distinction between establishments for which the Central Government is the appropriate Government and those governed by applicable State or Union Territory requirements.

The India Workplace Health and Safety module should be subscribed to by any organisation that:

• operates an establishment in India that is subject to workplace health and safety requirements;
• employs or engages workers for whom workplace health, safety or welfare responsibilities arise;
• owns, occupies, manages or operates workplaces subject to applicable electrical, fire or life-safety requirements;
• handles hazardous chemicals, hazardous substances or petroleum where the relevant statutory triggers are met;
• owns, uses or operates regulated boilers, pressure vessels, gas cylinders or applicable battery energy storage systems;
• undertakes building or other construction work;
• operates workplace vehicles or transports dangerous or hazardous goods;
• conducts mining, oil-mine, explosives or radiation activities; or
• is subject to applicable disaster-management or emergency-response requirements.

The specific questions and answers covered by the module include:

• How to determine the workplace health and safety requirements applying to an establishment and its activities;
• How to comply with establishment registration, licensing, approval and safety-governance requirements;
• How to meet workplace health, hygiene, welfare, first-aid and occupational health requirements;
• How to comply with accident, dangerous occurrence and occupational disease reporting requirements;
• How to maintain required workplace health and safety records and cooperate with regulatory inspections;
• How to provide the additional safety and welfare protections required for particular workers and working arrangements;
• How to identify and manage major accident hazards associated with hazardous chemicals;
• How to comply with emergency planning, hazard communication, chemical labelling, accidental release and public liability insurance requirements;
• How to meet applicable petroleum storage, transport and operational safety requirements;
• How to comply with requirements applying to boilers, pressure vessels, gas cylinders and battery energy storage systems;
• How to meet electrical installation, maintenance and accident-reporting requirements;
• How to determine and meet applicable fire and life-safety requirements for buildings;
• How to comply with safety requirements applying to mining, oil-mine, explosives and radiation activities;
• How to meet workplace vehicle and dangerous-goods transport requirements;
• How to comply with construction site safety and applicable building worker welfare cess requirements; and
• How to meet applicable disaster and emergency-response responsibilities.

The module reflects a compliance lifecycle extending from identifying applicable requirements and obtaining necessary registrations or approvals through maintaining safe workplaces and equipment, managing hazardous activities, preparing for emergencies, reporting incidents, maintaining records and responding to regulatory inspections. The source documents also identify significant consequences that may arise from non-compliance, including monetary penalties, criminal liability in specified circumstances, restrictions or prohibitions on the use of equipment, suspension or cancellation of licences or certificates, and liability arising from serious workplace incidents.

The module does not treat every specialist requirement as applying to every organisation. Requirements relating to particular industries, substances, equipment, workforce thresholds, buildings or activities apply only where the relevant statutory conditions are satisfied. In particular, building fire and life-safety requirements must be determined by reference to the applicable State, Union Territory or local regime, and the National Building Code of India 2016 is not treated as universally binding in its own right.

The purpose of the India Workplace Health and Safety module is to provide organisations with a structured understanding of the workplace health and safety responsibilities relevant to their Indian operations, enabling them to identify applicable requirements, protect workers and other affected persons, manage workplace and operational risks, and meet the regulatory responsibilities arising from their establishments and activities.