10 updates
Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 — State Rules Notified
Several states including Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Rajasthan have notified their OSH Code rules, bringing the consolidated code into practical effect for factories, mines, and construction sites.
Electricity Act 2003 — Amendment for Renewable Energy & Smart Meters
The 2022 amendment provisions relating to smart prepaid meters, renewable energy integration, and distribution sub-licensing have been brought into force through gazette notification.
BOCW (Amendment) Rules 2022 — Digital Registration Mandated
Revised BOCW rules now mandate digital registration of construction workers and online filing of welfare cess returns. Physical registers to be replaced by digital records by December 2024.
Coal Mines Regulations 2017 — Methane Monitoring Standards Updated
DGMS has issued updated technical circulars on continuous methane monitoring systems for underground coal mines, specifying sensor placement, alarm thresholds, and mandatory evacuation protocols.
Environment Protection (Amendment) Rules, 2023
New rules under the Environment Protection Act 1986 revise emission standards for thermal power plants and introduce stricter norms for industrial effluent discharge into water bodies.
Factories (Amendment) Act — Hazardous Processes Provisions Revised
Amendments to Chapter IVA of the Factories Act strengthen disclosure requirements for hazardous processes and increase the frequency of mandatory safety audits from annual to bi-annual.
MSIHC Rules 1989 — Revised Threshold Quantities for Schedule 1 Chemicals
MoEF has revised threshold quantities for 14 chemicals in Schedule 1 of the MSIHC Rules, lowering limits for certain chlorine compounds and adding 3 new substances to the hazardous list.
National Building Code 2016 — Addendum on EV Charging Safety
BIS has released an addendum to NBC 2016 covering fire safety requirements for electric vehicle charging stations in residential, commercial, and parking structures.
Mines Act 1952 — Women Permitted in Underground Mines (Amendment)
Amendment removes the blanket prohibition on employment of women in underground mines, permitting their employment in supervisory, technical, and managerial roles between 6 AM and 7 PM.
Contract Labour (R&A) Act — Threshold Reduced to 20 Workers
Central Government notification clarifies that the threshold for applicability of the Contract Labour Act remains at 20 workers, superseding certain state-level notifications that had raised it.