Labour Ministry sets up panels to review the existing rules under the OSH&WC code

Ministry of labour & Employment has set up three expert committees to review the existing rules and suggest standards under the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (OSH&WC) Code, 2020.

The expert committees which have been constituted will comprise of subject and sector experts from public as well as the private sector.

The constituted committees will 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 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," labour ministry said in a statement.

The Factories Rules framed under The Factories Act, 1948 will be reviewed i order to update them to meet the current requirements due to technological progress and system improvements, the ministry said.

The Factories Rules were last reviewed in 1998.

Dock Workers (Safety, Health Welfare) Regulations 1990 will be reviewed to  incorporate the advancements made in the field of OSH&WC while the  Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Central Rules, 1998 will be reviewed to meet the global standards in OSH&WC, the ministry said.

The OSH & WC Code, 2020 was passed in  in the monsoon session in 2020. It integrates thirteen labour laws relating to safety, health and working conditions. The draft rules for the OSH&WC Code were floated in November last year.