Background
Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 consolidates 13 central labour laws into a unified framework for workplace safety, health and working conditions, and came into force on 21 November 2025. The Government of Andhra Pradesh notified the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Andhra Pradesh) Rules, 2026 in August 2026, replacing rules under the earlier laws.
Rules establish online approvals and licensing through the Single Desk Portal, safety standards for machinery and industrial equipment, and additional safeguards for hazardous-process factories, including information disclosure, medical surveillance and occupational health facilities. They also prescribe safety training under Rule 157, requirements for 35 categories of dangerous operations under Rule 120, and protections relating to casual leave, grievance redressal and contract workers’ annual increments. This Part covers mandatory safety training, hazardous-process information disclosure, electrical safety, and the safe operation of thermic fluid heaters, centrifuges, reaction vessels, ovens and driers.
Applicability
Obligations in this Part apply to factories and establishments in Andhra Pradesh as follows: establishments carrying on hazardous processes or dangerous operations, and any factory notified by the State Government, must give induction, process-specific, hazard-specific and refresher safety training through qualified trainers; occupiers of factories involving hazardous processes must appoint qualified supervisors, conduct six-monthly medical examinations, maintain MSDS and disclose hazard, waste and emergency information to workers, the public, local authorities and the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator; factories carrying on declared dangerous operations must follow the Rule 120 Schedules; all factories must meet the electrical safety standards of Rule 149; factories using thermic fluid heaters, centrifuges, reaction vessels, polymerizing machines or ovens and driers of 325 litres or more must meet the equipment-specific design, testing and maintenance requirements; contractors regularly employing contract workers must provide an annual increment of at least two percent; and every covered establishment must grant casual leave as prescribed.
Compliance Requirements under the Rules in accordance with the Code
Following section sets out the key compliance obligations under the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Andhra Pradesh) Rules, 2026, along with the applicable penalty framework.
Every employer covered by Rule 157 must give employees refresher safety training at least once a year, and also whenever there is a change in process, machinery or material, or after an accident, a dangerous occurrence or a worker’s prolonged absence. The minimum duration, content and mode of training are as specified by the State Government or the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator for the relevant sector.
Where a contractor regularly employs a worker for any activity under mutually accepted conditions of employment, those conditions must ensure that the worker receives an annual increment of not less than two percent of wages.
The heater coil must be pressure-tested by a competent person at least once every 12 months, at a test pressure of not less than twice the operating pressure. Whenever the coil is repaired, it must be tested again before being put back into use.
Factories involving hazardous processes must appoint a hazardous-substance handling supervisor with the prescribed Chemistry or Chemical Engineering qualification and 2–5 years’ relevant chemical-industry experience, depending on qualification. The Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator may require health and safety training as per the syllabus and guidelines approved by DGFASLI or the State Government.
A worker or employee is eligible for up to fifteen days of casual leave in a calendar year, at the discretion of the establishment. Not more than five days may be taken at a time, casual leave cannot be combined with any other leave, and unused casual leave lapses at the end of the calendar year without being carried forward.
Every employer covered by Rule 157 must ensure that each employee completes induction safety training before starting work, covering the general hazards of the establishment, use of personal protective equipment, emergency exits, alarms and evacuation procedures, and fire prevention and first aid. The minimum duration, content and mode of training are as specified by the State Government or the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator.
Rule 120 and its Schedules prescribe safety and health requirements for factories undertaking dangerous operations under Section 82. The Inspector-cum-Facilitator may order corrective measures or suspend processes posing imminent toxicity risks. Medical records must be retained for one year after employment ends. Refer to Rule 120 and its Schedules for the complete list and requirements.
Workers employed in a hazardous process must be medically examined by a qualified medical practitioner engaged by the occupier (the Health Surveillance Officer) once every six months, or at shorter intervals where that officer considers it necessary, to assess their health in relation to the occupational hazards to which they are exposed. Workers may not refuse such examinations, or any medical survey conducted by or for the Central or State Government.
Mandatory safety training under Rule 157 must be conducted or supervised by a qualified Safety Officer, or a person qualified to be one under these Rules, and delivered through institutions, agencies or experts approved by the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator.
Every centrifuge must be examined by a competent person at the start of each working day and must not be operated until it has been certified safe for use.
The measures adopted for handling, use, transport and storage of hazardous substances inside the factory, and for their disposal outside the premises, must be communicated to employees through training manuals, booklets or information sheets, and to the public living nearby through the local authorities. Occupiers and managers must also follow any guidelines the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator issues under Sections 84 and 85 of the Code.
The occupier of every factory carrying on a hazardous process must obtain or develop a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), in line with the model in Rule 122, for every hazardous substance handled, manufactured, transported or stored, and make it available to any worker on request. The MSDS must accurately reflect the scientific evidence behind the hazard determination, and any significant new information on hazards or protective measures must be added as soon as practicable.
The occupier must inform workers about hazardous substances, including: (a) Sections 84–85 of the Code; (b) hazardous processes; (c) MSDS locations; (d) exposure hazards; (e) safety measures; (f) safe handling, storage and transport; (g) PPE; (h) container labels; (i) exposure symptoms and reporting; (j) spillage or leakage response; (k) emergency procedures and evacuation; and (l) other necessary information. Information must be explained through booklets, leaflets and workplace notices in the language understood by most workers. The Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator may direct further disclosures.
The information furnished on industrial wastes must state the daily quantity of solid and liquid wastes generated, their physical and chemical characteristics, and the treatment method (such as incineration of solids or chemical and biological treatment of liquids) and final disposal arrangements. It must also cover the quality and quantity of gaseous emissions discharged through stacks or other openings, and the pollution controls installed, such as scrubbers, cyclone separators or electrostatic precipitators.
The occupier must inform the potentially affected public about: (a) factory details; (b) responsible person; (c) statutory approvals; (d) hazardous processes and substances; (e) risk-reduction and disaster-control measures; (f) emergency warnings and public response; (g) accident-response arrangements; and (h) further information sources. The risk-assessed impact zone and affected population must be mapped at the factory entrance. Information must be provided in Telugu, English or the local majority language and shared with the concerned local authority.
The occupier must furnish to the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator, in writing, a copy of all information given to workers and the public, and a compilation of MSDS for hazardous substances used, produced or stored (also to the local Inspector-cum-Facilitator). The occupier must also submit the HAZOP study, layer of protection analysis, process hazard analysis, fault tree analysis and hazard analysis and risk assessment report, together with the On-Site Emergency Plan, and any further information the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator requires.
The Health and Safety Policy must be made widely known by giving copies to all workers, including contract workers, apprentices, transport workers and suppliers, displaying it at conspicuous places, and using any other suitable means, in a language understood by most workers.
A notice explaining when pressure above atmospheric pressure may build up in the reaction vessel, the dangers involved and the precautions operators must take must be displayed at a conspicuous place near the vessel and kept clearly visible at all times.
Details of the hazards arising from substances evolved by the hazardous process, discharged as waste or released accidentally, the measures to overcome them, and the quantity of hazardous chemicals must be prominently displayed near the factory entrance gate, in Telugu and in the language understood by most people in the vicinity.
Electrical equipment and conductors must be safely installed, earthed or insulated, protected and maintained, with suitable switches, circuit-breakers and restricted access to live parts. Equipment must be protected against environmental and fire hazards. Exemptions apply to specified supply-side equipment, installations up to 24V, State Government-exempted premises and premises meeting Chief Inspector-approved safety conditions.
In areas with flammable substances or explosive dust or gas, lamps must be enclosed in thick glass fittings, generators, motors and fittings must be gas-tight, cables must run in gas-tight conduits, portable apparatus must be of an approved type, and switches must be placed outside the area or be flame-proof. Precautions must be taken to prevent accidental energisation during work; insulating stands, screens, boots and other protective equipment must be provided and periodically examined, with records kept for inspection. Work needing technical knowledge must be done only by authorised, competent persons under immediate supervision, and never alone. The exemptions in Rule 149(29) apply.
While work is in progress on power lines, a notice board of at least 1′-0″ x 0′-9″ reading “Caution, person working on line” in red, with its vernacular equivalent, must be placed on the switchboard. Instructions on treating persons for electric shock, in English and the local language, must be displayed wherever electrical energy is generated, transformed, distributed or used. The exemptions in Rule 149(29) apply.
The thermic fluid heater coils must be removed and their surfaces cleaned thoroughly at least once every six months.
Every centrifuge must have a lid interlock so the lid cannot open while the basket is in motion, and charging and discharging must be interlocked with complete stoppage of the motor and rotation. Centrifuges must also have dynamic balancing and continuous vibration monitoring, approved over-speed protection with speed governors and automatic trips, and audible and visual alarms for over-speed, excessive vibration, abnormal bearing temperature and failure of the nitrogen supply or inerting system.
The internal surface of the thermic fluid heater must be cleaned of soot, and the internal refractory surface checked, every month or more often as working conditions require.
The thermic fluid must conform to the manufacturer’s specifications and be tested for suitability by a competent person at least once every three months, including tests for acidity, suspended matter, ash content, viscosity and flash point.
The heater’s electric panel must be near the heater but not where it can be exposed to spilled or leaking oil; the heater must be partitioned off from other manufacturing activities with fire-proof material; and the explosion vent must release at a safe location.
Printed fabric must be thoroughly dried, by drying cans, hot flues or equally effective means, before passing through polymerizing machines, and the infrared heaters of those machines must be cut off while prints are running.
Every oven or drier must have an automatic arrangement keeping the internal temperature below a safe upper limit fixed for the process. Where materials pass through successive stages, operating temperatures at each stage must be kept within design limits, and effective arrangements must prevent combustible substances from dripping onto electric heaters or burner flames.
The nozzles of the thermic fluid heater’s filters and pumps must be cleaned once a week while the heater is in use.
Penalty & Consequences
Section 94 of the OSH Code, 2020 — General penalty for contraventions
Unless otherwise provided, contraventions of the Code, rules, regulations, bye-laws, standards or written orders attract a penalty of ₹2–3 lakh on the employer or principal employer. Continued contravention after conviction attracts an additional penalty of up to ₹2,000 per day. Section 94 does not apply where Section 103 applies.
Section 103 of the OSH Code, 2020 — Contravention resulting in accident or dangerous occurrence
Where a contravention causes an accident or dangerous occurrence resulting in (a) death: imprisonment up to two years, a fine of at least ₹5 lakh, or both; or (b) serious bodily injury: imprisonment up to one year, a fine of ₹2–4 lakh, or both. The court may direct at least 50% of the fine to be paid as compensation to the victim or their legal heirs. Repeat convictions attract double the prescribed punishment.
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