The Labour and Employment Department, Govt. of Jammu and Kashmir on April 23, 2026, issued the Draft Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Jammu and Kashmir) Rules, 2026.
The following has been stated:
• The rules regulate workplace safety, health, welfare, and working conditions across establishments such as factories, mines, construction sites, contract labour establishments, and motor transport undertakings.
• They prescribe procedures for the registration and licensing of establishments and contractors, the maintenance of registers and records, the appointment of inspectors and authorities, and the filing of electronic returns and notices.
• The rules also provide for the constitution of the Jammu and Kashmir Occupational Safety and Health Advisory Board, social security measures, welfare facilities, working hours, leave, wages, safety committees, and accident reporting mechanisms.
• Employers are required to ensure workplace cleanliness, ventilation, drinking water, sanitation, medical facilities, and protective equipment for workers. Specific provisions are included for the employment of contract labour, inter-state migrant workers, women workers, and workers in hazardous occupations.
• The rules further prescribe qualifications and deployment norms for safety officers, welfare officers, and medical officers in factories, mines, and construction activities. They also provide mechanisms for inquiry, compounding of offences, appeals, and penalties for non-compliance.
• The rules consolidate and replace several earlier labour and workplace safety regulations in Jammu and Kashmir to create a unified compliance framework under the labour codes regime.
• Public comments on the proposal are invited by June 07, 2026.
[Notification no. – S.O. 121]
