Factories Act, 1948- Chapter IX- Special Provisions

Chapter IX

SPECIAL PROVISIONS

85. Power to apply the Act to certain premises.

85. Power to apply the Act to certain premises.—(1) The State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, declare that all or any of the provisions of this Act shall apply to any place wherein a manufacturing process is carried on with or without the aid of power or is so ordinarily carried on, notwithstanding that—

(i) the number of persons employed therein is less than ten, if working with the aid of power and less than twenty if working without the aid of power, or

(ii) the persons working therein are not employed by the owner thereof but are working with the permission of, or under agreement with, such owner:

Provided that the manufacturing process is not being carried on by the owner only with the aid of his family.

(2) After a place is so declared, it shall be deemed to be a factory for the purposes of this Act, and the owner shall be deemed to be the occupier, and any person working therein, a worker.

Explanation.—For the purpose of this section, “owner” shall include a lessee or mortgagee with possession of the premises.

86. Power to exempt public institutions.

86. Power to exempt public institutions.—The State Government may exempt, subject to such conditions as it may consider necessary, any workshop or workplace where a manufacturing process is carried on and which is attached to a public institution maintained for the purposes of education, [i][training, research] or reformation, from all or any of the provisions of this Act:

Provided that no exemption shall be granted from the provisions relating to hours of work and holidays, unless the persons having the control of the institution submit, for the approval of the State Government, a scheme for the regulation of the hours of employment, intervals for meals, and holidays of the persons employed in or attending the institution or who are inmates of the institution, and the State Government is satisfied that the provisions of the scheme are not less favourable than the corresponding provisions of this Act.

87. Dangerous operations.

87. Dangerous operations.—Where the State Government is of opinion that any [ii][manufacturing process or operation] carried on in a factory exposes any persons employed in it to a serious risk of bodily injury, poisoning or disease, it may make rules applicable to any factory or class or description of factories in which the [iii][manufacturing process or operation] is carried on—

(a) specifying the [iv][manufacturing process or operation] and declaring it to be dangerous;

(b) prohibiting or restricting the employment of women, adolescents or children in the [v][manufacturing process or operation];

(c) providing for the periodical medical examination of persons employed, or seeking to be employed, in the [vi][manufacturing process or operation], and prohibiting the employment of persons not certified as fit for such employment [vii][and requiring the payment by the occupier of the factory of fees for such medical examination];

(d) providing for the protection of all persons employed in the [viii][manufacturing process or operation] or in the vicinity of the places where it is carried on;

(e) prohibiting, restricting or controlling the use of any specified materials or processes in connection with the [ix][manufacturing process or operation];

[x](f) requiring the provision of additional welfare amenities and sanitary facilities and the supply of protective equipment and clothing, and laying down the standards thereof, having regard to the dangerous nature of the manufacturing process or operation;

(g) [xi][* * *]

87-A. Power to prohibit employment on account of serious hazard.

[xii][87-A. Power to prohibit employment on account of serious hazard.—(1) Where it appears to the Inspector that conditions in a factory or part thereof are such that they may cause serious hazard by way of injury or death to the persons employed therein or to the general public in the vicinity, he may, by order in writing to the occupier of the factory, state the particulars in respect of which he considers the factory or part thereof to be the cause of such serious hazard and prohibit such occupier from employing any person in the factory or any part thereof other than the minimum number of persons necessary to attend to the minimum tasks till the hazard is removed.

(2) Any order issued by the Inspector under sub-section (1) shall have effect for a period of three days until extended by the Chief Inspector by a subsequent order.

(3) Any person aggrieved by an order of the Inspector under sub-section (1), and the Chief Inspector under sub-section (2), shall have the right to appeal to the High Court.

(4) Any person whose employment has been affected by an order issued under sub-section (1), shall be entitled to wages and other benefits and it shall be the duty of the occupier to provide alternative employment to him wherever possible and in the manner prescribed.

(5) The provisions of sub-section (4) shall be without prejudice to the rights of the parties under the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 (14 of 1947).]

88. Notice of certain accidents.

88. Notice of certain accidents.—[xiii][(1)] Where in any factory an accident occurs which causes death, or which causes any bodily injury by reason of which the person injured is prevented from working for a period of forty-eight hours or more immediately following the accident, or which is of such nature as may be prescribed in this behalf, the manager of the factory shall send notice thereof to such authorities, and in such form and within such time, as may be prescribed.

[xiv][(2) Where a notice given under sub-section (1) relates to an accident causing death, the authority to whom the notice is sent shall make an inquiry into the occurrence within one month of the receipt of the notice or, if such authority is not the Inspector, cause the Inspector to make an inquiry within the said period.

(3) The State Government may make rules for regulating the procedure at inquiries under this Section.]

88-A. Notice of certain dangerous occurrences.

[xv][88-A. Notice of certain dangerous occurrences.—Where in a factory any dangerous occurrence of such nature as may be prescribed, occurs, whether causing any bodily injury or disability or not, the manager of the factory shall send notice thereof to such authorities, and in such form and within such time, as may be prescribed.]

89. Notice of certain diseases.

89. Notice of certain diseases.—(1) Where any worker in a factory contracts any disease specified in [xvi][the Third Schedule], the manager of the factory shall send notice thereof to such authorities, and in such form and within such time, as may be prescribed.

(2) If any medical practitioner attends on a person who is or has been employed in a factory, and who is, or is believed by the medical practitioner to be, suffering from any disease specified in [xvii][the Third Schedule] the medical practitioner shall without delay send a report in writing to the office of the Chief Inspector stating—

(a) the name and full postal address of the patient,

(b) the disease from which he believes the patient to be suffering, and

(c) the name and address of the factory in which the patient is, or was last, employed.

(3) Where the report under sub-section (2) is confirmed to the satisfaction of the Chief Inspector, by the certificate of a certifying surgeon or otherwise, that the person is suffering from a disease specified in [xviii][the Third Schedule] he shall pay to the medical practitioner such fee as may be prescribed, and the fee so paid shall be recoverable as an arrear of land revenue from the occupier of the factory in which the person contracted the disease.

(4) If any medical practitioner fails to comply with the provisions of sub-section (2), he shall be punishable with fine which may extend to [xix][one thousand rupees.]

[xx][(5) The Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, add to or alter the Third Schedule and any such addition or alteration shall have effect as if it had been made by this Act.]

90. Power to direct enquiry into cases of accident or disease.

90. Power to direct enquiry into cases of accident or disease.—(1) The State Government may, if it considers it expedient so to do, appoint a competent person to inquire into the causes of any accident occurring in a factory or into any case where a disease specified in [xxi][the Third Schedule] has been, or is suspected to have been, contracted in a factory, and may also appoint one or more persons possessing legal or special knowledge to act as assessors in such inquiry.

(2) The person appointed to hold an inquiry under this section shall have all the powers of a Civil Court under the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 (5 of 1908), for the purposes of enforcing the attendance of witnesses and compelling the production of documents and material objects, and may also, so far as may be necessary for the purposes of the inquiry, exercise any of the powers of an Inspector under this Act; and every person required by the person making the inquiry to furnish any information shall be deemed to be legally bound so to do within the meaning of Section 176 of the Indian Penal Code (XLV of 1860).

(3) The person holding an inquiry under this section shall make a report to the State Government stating the causes of the accident, or as the case may be, disease, and any attendant circumstances, and adding any observations which he or any of the assessors may think fit to make.

(4) The State Government may, if it thinks fit, cause to be published any report made under this section or any extracts therefrom.

(5) The State Government may make rules for regulating the procedure at inquiries under this section.

91. Power to take samples.

91. Power to take samples.—(1) An Inspector may at any time during the normal working hours of a factory, after informing the occupier or manager of the factory or other person for the time being purporting to be in charge of the factory, take in the manner hereinafter provided a sufficient sample of any substance used or intended to be used in the factory, such use being—

(a) in the belief of the Inspector in contravention of any of the provisions of this Act or the rules made thereunder, or

(b) in the opinion of the Inspector likely to cause bodily injury to, or injury to the health of, workers in the factory.

(2) Where the Inspector takes a sample under sub-section (1), he shall, in the presence of the person informed under that sub-section unless such person wilfully absents himself, divide the sample into three portions and effectively seal and suitably mark them, and shall permit such person to add his own seal and mark thereto.

(3) The person informed as aforesaid shall, if the Inspector so requires, provide the appliances for dividing, sealing and marking the sample taken under this section.

(4) The Inspector shall—

(a) forthwith give one portion of the sample to the person informed under sub-section (1);

(b) forthwith send the second portion to a Government Analyst for analysis and report thereon;

(c) retain the third portion for production to the Court before which proceedings, if any, are instituted in respect of the substance.

(5) Any document purporting to be a report under the hand of any Government Analyst upon any substance submitted to him for analysis and report under this section, may be used as evidence in any proceedings instituted in respect of the substance.

91-A. Safety and occupational health surveys.

[xxii][91-A. Safety and occupational health surveys.—(1) The Chief Inspector, or the Director-General of Factory Advice Service and Labour Institutes, or the Director-General of Health Services, to the Government of India, or such other officer as may be authorised in this behalf by the State Government or the Chief Inspector or the Director-General of Factory Advice Service and Labour Institutes or the Director-General of Health Services may, at any time during the normal working hours of a factory, or at any other time as is found by him to be necessary, after giving notice in writing to the occupier or manager of the factory or any other person who for the time being purports to be in charge of the factory, undertake safety and occupational health surveys and such occupier or manager or other person shall afford all facilities for such survey, including facilities for the examination and testing of plant and machinery and collection of samples and other data relevant to the survey.

(2) For the purpose of facilitating surveys under sub-section (1) every worker shall, if so required by the person conducting the survey, present himself to undergo such medical examination as may be considered necessary by such person and furnish all information in his possession and relevant to the survey.

(3) Any time spent by a worker for undergoing medical examination or furnishing information under sub-section (2) shall, for the purpose of calculating wages and extra wages for overtime work, be deemed to be time during which such worker worked in the factory.

[xxiii][Explanation.—For the purposes of this section, the report, if any, submitted to the State Government by the person conducting the survey under sub-section (1) shall be deemed to be a report submitted by an Inspector under this Act.]]

References

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