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Section 24: Welfare facilities in establishments

The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 (Act No. 37 of 2020) • Official Statutory Text & Plain English Practice Guide

Statutory Mandate
Chapter V: Health, Safety and Working Conditions
Competent Labour Forum
Act No. 37 of 2020
Section 23 All 143 Sections of OSH Code, 2020 Section 25

Legal Commentary & Landmark Judgments: Section 24

Section 24 of the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 imposes an affirmative statutory duty on every employer to provide and maintain prescribed welfare amenities, including separate washing and locker facilities for male, female, and transgender workers, sitting arrangements for standing jobs, canteens, first-aid boxes, and crèches.

  • Inclusive Sanitation & Hygiene Mandates: Requires employers to provide separate, clean, well-lit, and private washing, bathing, and locker facilities for male, female, and transgender employees, ensuring dignity and hygiene.
  • Ergonomic Seating & Canteen Thresholds: Mandates suitable sitting arrangements for workers obliged to work in a standing position to prevent fatigue; requires the provision of a hygienic canteen in establishments employing one hundred or more workers.
  • First-Aid Boxes, Ambulance Rooms & Crèches: Requires readily accessible first-aid boxes per prescribed worker ratios; mandates dedicated ambulance rooms with medical staff in large factories/mines, and crèche facilities for children under six years in establishments employing fifty or more workers.
Key Landmark Precedents:
  • Bhilwara Dugdh Utpadak Sahakari Samiti Ltd. v. Vinod Kumar Sharma (2011) 15 SCC 209: Supreme Court held that statutory welfare amenities are mandatory rights of workers and cannot be circumvented through outsourcing, artificial headcount fragmentation, or contractor intermediaries.
  • Gammon India Ltd. v. Union of India (1974) 4 SCC 396: Supreme Court held that the provision of drinking water, latrines, washrooms, and crèches on industrial and construction sites is essential for the preservation of human health and constitutes an integral condition of valid business operations.
Courtroom Practice & Strategic Litigation Guidance:

Execute a facility layout review to verify compliance with Section 24: ensure washrooms are designated for male, female, and transgender staff with running water. In facilities crossing the 100-worker threshold, constitute a joint Canteen Managing Committee. Inspect first-aid kits monthly to replace expired materials and maintain certified first-aid trained personnel on every shift.

Section 23 All 143 Sections of OSH Code, 2020 Section 25