Unit 06 : Legal Provisions on Occupational Health and Safety

Over the years, some legislation has been set by the Indian Government, to uplift the standards of work in industries and protect the rights of workers.

The Factories Act recognised the basic human rights of all the workers in factories and attempted to create better spaces of employment. The Mines Act looked exclusively at mine workers, a group that has traditionally been neglected and who has always been exposed to extreme danger.

There is also the Workmen’s Compensation Act and the Employee’s State Insurance Act that provides for compensation in case of accidents and safeguards the needs of the workers.

But, despite such legislation, employers continue to violate human rights in workplaces in India. Child labour thrives in such industries as the carpet industry, mines, firework industry etc. The legislation needs to be implemented more strictly in order to have safer workplaces and, hence, safer lives for workers.After completing this Unit, you should be familiar with the following concepts and issues.

• The legislations available in India in relation to occupational health and safety (OHS)
• Inadequacy of OHS legislations in India.