The Factories Act,

1948
Introduction
The Factories Act, 1948
The Factories Act, 1948 has been enacted to
consolidate and amend the law regulating the
workers working in the factories.
It extends to whole of India and applies to
every factory wherein 20 or more workers are
ordinary employed.
Since the aim and object of the Act is to
safeguard the interest of workers and protect them
from exploitation,
the Act prescribes certain standards with regard to
safety,
welfare and working hours of workers, apart from
other provisions.


Factory
Means any premises including the precincts
thereof where ten or more persons are
working in any manufacturing process being
carried on with aid of power and where
twenty or more workers are working without
the aid of power.

Employee Health
Every factory should be kept dean and free
from effluvia arising from any drain, privy or
other nuisance. {Section 11}
Effective arrangements should be made in
every factory for the treatment and effluents
due to the manufacturing process carried on
therein, so as to render them innocuous, and
for their disposal. {Section12}

Effective and suitable provisions should be made in
every factory for securing and maintaining in every
workroom; adequate ventilation by the circulation of
fresh air; and such a temperatures will secure to
workers therein reasonable conditions of comfort and
prevent injury to health. {Section 13}

Effective measures should be taken to prevent
inhalation of dust to prevent inhalation of dust and
fume that may produce in the course of
manufacturing process. {Section 14}

In any factory where the humidity of air is artificially
increased, the State Government may make rules
prescribing standards of humidification; regulating
the methods used for artificially increasing humidity
of the air; and directing prescribed test for
determining the humidity of the air to be correctly
carried out and recorded; and prescribing methods to
be adopted for securing adequate ventilation and
cooling of the air in the workrooms. {Section 1S}

Employee Safety
The machinery in every factory should be
properly fenced. {Section 21}
Only the trained adult male worker, wearing
tight fitting clothing which should be supplied
by the Occupier, should be allowed to work
near the machinery in motion. {Section 22}

No young person shall be employed on dangerous
machinery, unless he is fully instructed as to the
danger arising in connection with the machine and
the precautions to be observed and he has received
sufficient training in work at the machine. {Section
23}

Suitable arrangements should be made to provide
striking gear and devices for cutting off power in case
of emergencies. {Section 24}
Sufficient precautions should be taken with regard to
self-acting machines to avoid accidents. {Section 25}

Employee Welfare
Adequate and suitable 'washing facilities'
should be provided in every factory. {Section
42}
Provision should be made to provide suitable
places for keeping clothing not worn during
working hours and for the drying of wet
clothing.{Section 43}

In every factory, suitable arrangements for sitting
should be provided and maintained for all workers
obliged to work in a standing position, in order that
they may take advantage of any opportunities for rest
which may occur in the course of their work.{Section
44}

First-Aid Boxes with the prescribed contents should
be provided and maintained so as to be readily
accessible during all working hours at the rate of at
least one Box for every 150 workmen. {Section 45}

In every factory wherein more than 500 workers are
employed there should be provided and maintained
an Ambulance containing the prescribed equipment
and in the charge of such medical and nursing staff.
{Section 45(4)}

Working Hours of Adult
Workers
Ordinarily, a worker should not be allowed to
work in a factory for more than 48 hours in
any week. {Section 51}

The workman should have one holiday for a whole
day in a week. Where he was asked to work on his
scheduled weekly holiday, he should be given
compensatory holiday within three days of his
scheduled weekly holiday. {Section 52}

RESTRICTIONS ON
EMPLOYMENT OF WOMEN.
[section 66]
Women is not allowed to work during the
night hours from between 10 P.M. and 5 A.M.
Factories act 1948, shall allow women to work
in between the hours of 6 A.M. and 7 P.M.
only.

General Duties of the
Occupier
Every Occupier should ensure, so far is
reasonably practicable the health, safety and
welfare of all workers while they are at work
in the factory.

Without prejudice to the generality of the provisions of
sub-section (1), the matters to which such duty extends,
include -
the provisions and maintenance of plant and systems of work in
the factory that are safe and without risks to health; .
the arrangements in the factory for ensuring safety and absence
of risks to health in connection with the use, handling, storage
and transport of articles and substance;
the provision of such information, instruction, training and
supervision as are necessary to ensure .the health and safety of
all workers at work;

Except in such cases as may be prescribed, every
Occupier should prepare, and, so often as may be
appropriate, revise, a written statement of his general
policy with respect to the health and safety of the
workers at work and the organization and
arrangements for the time being in force for carrying
out that policy, and to bring the statement and any
revision thereof to the notice of all the workers in
such manner as may be prescribed. {Section 7-A}