Safety & WorkforceFree referencePDF, Excel, Word exportIndia

Factories Act 1948 Sections Quick Reference for Plant Managers

Plant managers keep reaching for the same dozen Factories Act sections: working hours, overtime, canteen, creche and safety officer thresholds. This table puts them in one searchable place.

Download:

Section	Subject	Key requirement in plain words
2(m)	Definition of factory	Premises with 10 or more workers using power, or 20 or more without power, where a manufacturing process is carried on
6	Approval, licensing and registration	Plans need prior approval and the factory needs a licence under the state rules
7	Notice by occupier	Occupier gives written notice to the chief inspector before occupying or using the premises
7A	General duties of the occupier	Ensure the health, safety and welfare of all workers so far as is reasonably practicable
11	Cleanliness	Keep the factory clean, with drains cleared and periodic limewashing or painting
13	Ventilation and temperature	Adequate ventilation and reasonable working temperature
14	Dust and fume	Take effective measures to prevent inhalation and accumulation of dust and fumes
16	Overcrowding	Minimum space per worker in work rooms
18	Drinking water	Provide wholesome drinking water at suitable points
19	Latrines and urinals	Sufficient, clean and separate for men and women
21	Fencing of machinery	Dangerous moving parts must be securely fenced
22	Work on or near machinery in motion	Only trained adult male workers, wearing tight clothing, may examine or lubricate moving machinery
28	Hoists and lifts	Sound construction, periodic examination, safety gates
29	Lifting machines, chains, ropes	Testing, examination by a competent person, safe working load marked
31	Pressure plant	Operating pressure must be safe and safety valves and gauges maintained
32	Floors, stairs and means of access	Safe means of access, handrails, no obstructions
34	Excessive weights	No person may be required to lift loads likely to cause injury
35	Protection of eyes	Screens or goggles for processes that risk eye injury
36A	Portable electric light	Safe voltage requirements in confined spaces
38	Precautions in case of fire	Exits, fire fighting means and worker training
40B	Safety officers	Required where 1000 or more workers are employed, or where the state notifies hazardous processes
41B	Compulsory disclosure for hazardous processes	Occupier discloses hazards and prepares an on-site emergency plan
42	Washing facilities	Adequate and clean facilities, separate for men and women
45	First aid	Boxes or cupboards, at least one for every 150 workers; ambulance room where 500 or more are employed
46	Canteen	Required where more than 250 workers are employed
47	Shelters, rest rooms, lunch rooms	Required where more than 150 workers are employed
48	Creches	Required where more than 30 women workers are employed
49	Welfare officers	Required where 500 or more workers are employed
51	Weekly hours	No adult worker works more than 48 hours in a week
52	Weekly holidays	A rest day for adult workers, normally a Sunday
54	Daily hours	No adult worker works more than 9 hours in a day
55	Intervals for rest	Rest interval of at least half an hour after at most 5 hours of work
56	Spread over	Working hours with intervals must not spread over more than 10.5 hours in a day
59	Extra wages for overtime	Overtime paid at twice the ordinary rate of wages
62	Register of adult workers	Maintain the register with names, shifts and rest days
66	Further restrictions on women's employment	Work within permitted hours, subject to state rules
67	Prohibition of employment of young children	No child under 14 may be employed
79	Annual leave with wages	Entitlement accrues at one day for every 20 days worked by an adult, subject to the qualifying rule
88	Notice of dangerous occurrences	Report accidents and dangerous occurrences to the inspector
92	General penalty	Penalties for contravention by the occupier or manager

This is a summary for orientation. Section numbers, thresholds and state rules can differ, and the Act is being absorbed into the OSH Code. Read the official text and your state Factories Rules before acting on any entry.

Shift and overtime compliance report

Optional help building shift and overtime exception reports from your ERP attendance data.

Optional. The tool and every export work without this. No spam.

How to use the quick reference

Search by section number or topic such as canteen, overtime or fencing. Each row shows the subject and the headline requirement. Use it to answer a quick question from HR or an auditor, then confirm the full text and state rules before taking a decision. Export it to PDF for a safety committee pack or to Excel if you want to add a compliance status column for each section.

Search by section number or topic
Use the thresholds to check which welfare facilities apply to you
Export to Excel and add status, owner and evidence columns

Headcount thresholds you will be asked about

The Act ties welfare and safety facilities to headcount. More than 150 workers triggers shelters and rest rooms, more than 250 triggers a canteen, more than 30 women workers triggers a creche, 500 or more workers triggers a welfare officer, and 1000 or more workers triggers a safety officer. These counts include contract workers in many state interpretations, so check how your state and your inspector count. Keep a monthly headcount record so you can show when a threshold was crossed.

Working hours and overtime

Adult workers are capped at 48 hours a week and 9 hours a day, with a rest interval after 5 hours and a total spread over of 10.5 hours. Overtime is paid at twice the ordinary rate under section 59. Some states have amended limits for overtime hours and exemptions, so use your state rules for the actual quarterly caps. ERP time and attendance setups should flag any shift pattern that breaks these limits before payroll closes.

Common mistakes

Plants often miss the headcount trigger when contract labour grows, so a canteen or creche requirement appears without notice. Registers are another weak point: the adult worker register, overtime register and accident register should match payroll and attendance exactly. A third issue is relying on an old summary without checking state amendments.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Factories Act section deals with overtime wages?

Section 59 requires overtime to be paid at twice the ordinary rate of wages for work beyond the normal daily or weekly limits. State rules and recent amendments can change related limits, so check yours.

How many workers make a factory under the Act?

Section 2(m) covers premises with 10 or more workers where power is used, or 20 or more where it is not, if a manufacturing process is carried on. State governments can extend coverage to smaller units.

When must a plant appoint a safety officer?

Under section 40B a safety officer is required where 1000 or more workers are employed, or where the state government notifies the factory because of hazardous processes. Check your state rules for the qualifications.

Is this the full text of the Act?

No. These are short summaries for navigation, not legal text. Use the official Act and your state Factories Rules for decisions, and confirm the effect of the OSH Code on your establishment.

If you want shift, overtime and headcount alerts built into your ERP time data, we can help design those reports to run on your own servers.

Talk to an Expert Explore More Free Tools

Related Tools

Compliance & Contracts

More Safety & Workforce tools

See all

Back to All Tools