1. Factories Act 1948
Department of Management
School of Management & Business Studies
Jamia Hamdard
Submitted to: Dr. Manpreet Kaur Kohli
2. Factory
A factory is defined as a building, or a group of
buildings wherein goods are manufactured
through a machine.
Raw
Material + Process = Customer
products
3. Factories Act
• It is called as factories act 1948
• Extended to whole of India
• Act was passed by state constituent assembly on 28th
August 1948
• Came into force on 1st day of April 1949
4. More about factories act 1948
• Act provides: safeguard to health, working
conditions, safety and welfare of workers in the
factories.
• Act monitors: the workers and the regulation of
SOP's mentioned in the act.
• The entire act contains 120 section , 11 chapters, 3
schedules
5. Objectives of the act
• To prevent human beings from working long hours with bodily
strains or manual labours.
• To provide the employees to work in healthy and hygienic
conditions.
• To safeguard the workers from hazardous works and prevention
of accidents.
• To ensure annual leaves with wages.
• To protect women and children in course of employment.
• To prevent the workers from getting exploited.
6. Amendments in the act
• 1881 - Prohibition of employment of children's and was applicable on
factories where there are 100+ workers were employed.
• 1891- Coverup the loopholes of the 1881's act
• 1911 - Safety provision for safety of workers were added which were
missing in previous two times
• 1934 - Royal commission was set up in year 1929 which added more
recommendations like sustainable development, working conditions of
workers, added inspection and observation of the factories where there
were 20+ workers and this act came into force in year 1935.
7. Applicability of the Act
Any factory using power & employing 10 or more
workers and if not using power, employing 20 or
more workers on any day of the preceding twelve
months in any part of which a manufacturing
process is being carried on with the aid of power
or is ordinarily so carried on,
Or
Whereon twenty or more workers are working or
were working on any day of the preceding twelve
months, and in any part of which a manufacturing
process is being carried on without the aid of
power, or is ordinarily so carried on;
8. Exemptions
• This act does not include a mine
• Or a mobile unit belonging to the armed forces of the
union,
• Or a hotel, restaurant or eating place
9. LABOUR AND WELFARE
• Washing facilities
• Facilities for sitting
• First aid appliances
• Canteens
• Shelters, restrooms and lunchrooms
10. Washing facilities (Section 42)
• All factories should supply and maintain
enough appropriate washing facilities for
the use of the employees.
• For male and female employees, separate,
well-screened facilities must be provided;
these facilities also need to be easily
accessible and maintained clean.
• The standards for appropriate and suitable
facilities for washing must be set by the
state government.
11. Facilities for sitting (Section 44)
• All factories should provide and maintain seating
arrangements in appropriate areas for all workers
who are required to work in a standing position in
order to take advantage of any chances for rest
that may arise throughout the course of the job.
• According to the chief inspector, workers in any
factory involved in a certain manufacturing process
or working in a specific room are able to perform
their work effectively while seated.
12. First aid appliance (Section 45)
• All factories must have first aid kits, appliances, or cupboards
stocked with the required supplies during all working hours, and
they must be easily accessible for all manufacturing employees to
access. Accordingly, there must be more first aid boxes or
cupboards than the usual ratio of one for every 150 industrial
employees, which must be fewer than that.
• The first aid box or cupboard should only include the
recommended supplies.
• Throughout the factory’s operating hours, each first aid box or
cupboard should be kept under the supervision of a specific
person who is accountable for it on a separate basis and must be
readily available at all times during the working hours of the
factory.
13. Canteen (Section 46)
• A canteen must be provided and kept
up by the occupier for the benefit of
the workers in any specified factory
where more than 250 people are
usually employed, according to rules
that the state government may set.
• Food must be served, and prices must
be established for it.
14. Shelters, restrooms and lunch
rooms (Section 47)
• Every factory with more than 150 employees must have
appropriate and suitable restrooms or shelters and a
lunchroom with drinking water where employees can
eat food they have brought with them and that is kept
for their use. If a lunchroom is available, employees
should stop eating in the work area.
• The shelters or restrooms need to be well-lighted,
ventilated, kept clean, cool, and in good condition.
• The state government sets the standards.
15. Cleanliness in Every Factory ( Sec.11)
Every factory needs to be kept clean and clear of
any effluvia from drains, latrines, or other
annoyances.
In particular:
• Dirt must be cleaned daily from floors,
benches, staircases, and passages by
sweeping or by another method, and it must be
properly disposed of.
• The floor should be disinfectant-washed at
least once a week.
• During the manufacturing process, the floor
becomes moist; this must be drained via
drainage.
16. Dust and Fume (Sec.14)
• Every factory has to have a method in place for
treating wastes and effluents produced by the
manufacturing process they use.
Disposal of Effluents and Wastes
(Sec.12)
• If dust and fume release in the manufacturing process of a factory
then they should take effective measures to prevent its inhalation
and accumulation in the workplace. For this, they should use proper
exhaust appliances in the workplace.
• In any factory, no stationary internal combustion engine shall be
operated unless the exhaust is conducted into the open air.
17. Ventilation and Temperature (Sec.13)
• In order to ensure worker comfort and prevent
health problems, sufficient ventilation must be
created for the circulation of air in a factory, which
should be maintained at a specific temperature.
• Walls and roofing should be made of a material
that is intended for a particular temperature that
shouldn’t go over as much as possible.
• Certain precautions must be taken to protect the
employees in facilities where the manufacturing
process requires extremely high or low
temperatures.
18. Artificial Humidification (Sec.15)
In respect of all factories in which the humidity of the air
artificially increases, the State Government may make
rules-
• Firstly, prescribing standards of humidification;
• Secondly, regulating the methods used for artificially
increasing the humidity of the air;
• directing tests for determining the humidity of the air for
correct carrying out and recording.
• Lastly, prescribing methods for securing adequate
ventilation and cooling of the air in the workrooms.
In any factory in which the humidity of the air artificially
increases, they should purify the water (drinking water)
before the supply.
19. Overcrowding (Sec.16)
• There should be no overcrowding in factories that
might harm the health of the workers.
• All employees must have ample space in a room to
work in the building.
• A factory built after the commencement of this act at
least 14.2 cubic meters of space for every worker
employed therein, and for the purposes of this
subsection, no account shall be taken of any space
which is more than 4.2 meters above the level of the
floor of the room.
20. Drinking Water (Sec.18)
• There should be proper lighting in all the places of the factory from where the
workers of the factory pass.
• In every factory, effective provision shall, so far as is practicable, be made for the
prevention of glare, either directly from a source of light or by reflection from a
smooth or polished surface;
• the formation of shadows to such an extent as to cause eye-strain or the risk of
accident to any worker.
Lighting (Sec.17)
• All factories must have the appropriate installations in place, and maintain convenient
locations with an adequate supply of clean drinking water.
• The distance between any drinking water and any washing area, urinal, latrine, spittoon,
open drain carrying sullage or effluent, or another source of contamination in the factory
must be 6 meters unless the chief inspector approves a shorter distance in writing. The
labelling must be legible and in a language that workers could understand.
• In all factories with more than 250 regular employees, there needs to be a suitable method
for providing cold drinking water during hot weather.
21. Health Measures and Safety
Provisions
• Cleanliness in every factory
(Section 11)
• Disposal of effluents and wastes
(Section 12)
• Ventilation and Temperature
(Section 13)
• Dust and Fume
(Section 14)
• Artificial Humidification (Section
15)
22. Conclusion
The current Factories act 1948, which has been in force for the past so many
years, has brought many benefits to factory workers. It has significantly
improved working, sanitary, personal, and employment conditions. The
government is actively considering introducing some significant changes to
the Factories Act 1948 to keep it up to date and more effective.
Factory managers play an important role in ensuring the health, safety, and
well-being of workers as they are the backbone of the industrial sector.
However, the worker and his agent must notify themselves of the various
provisions of the Factories act 1948, protect their interests, and make the
defaulting employer aware of his legal obligations.