(1) In accordance with the provisions of this Code, the statutory standards and employer duties governing Responsibility of contractor and principal employer for payment of wages shall be enforced across all industrial premises, factories, mines, and workplaces throughout India.
(2) Every occupier, principal employer, contractor, and manager shall strictly implement the environmental benchmarks, machinery safeguards, working hour limitations, and welfare facilities specified under this section.
(3) Failure to maintain the health and safety standards mandated under this section shall constitute a punishable offence under Chapter XI, attracting fines and imprisonment where serious bodily injury or fatality occurs.
Legal Commentary & Landmark Judgments: Section 51
Section 51 of the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 empowers the Designated Authority to revoke, suspend, or amend a contractor's license if obtained through fraud or misrepresentation, or if the contractor has breached statutory conditions or defaulted on worker wage payments, subject to strict natural justice safeguards.
Upon receiving a Section 51 show-cause notice, contractor legal counsel must immediately inspect the authority's file, file a detailed written response supported by bank wage disbursement sheets and statutory PF/ESI challans, and demand a recorded personal hearing. If the authority issues a summary suspension order without hearing, approach the High Court under Article 226.