Gujarat explained: this guide covers what it means, who it applies to, the step-by-step process, documents required, fees, due dates and penalties in India — so you can stay compliant with confidence and avoid costly mistakes.
Chapter VI (rules 29 to 38) and Chapter VII (rules 39 to 44) of the Gujarat Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Rules, 2025 list the registers, records and returns an employer keeps, and what an Inspector-cum-Facilitator and a medical officer may do. This article follows them as printed.
The rules are the Gujarat Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Rules, 2025, as notified on 6 June 2025 (Gujarat Government Gazette, Extraordinary, 12 June 2025), in force from the date on which the OSH Code, 2020 comes into force. The register of workers, wages, overtime, fines and deductions is Form 13, and the muster roll Form 14 (rule 29). The annual return in Form 23 must reach the Inspector-cum-Facilitator not later than 1st February after each calendar year (rule 37). A factory keeps an Inspection Book in Form 43 (rule 39(10)).
Later amendments and State notifications under these rules should be checked in the State Gazette.
Commencement and Central rules
Rule 1(4) reads: "They shall come into force from the date on which the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020, come into force." The four Labour Codes were brought into force from 21 November 2025. The Central rules on records are in rule 72, rules 73 and 74, rules 75 and 76 and rule 78. The Code on Wages registers are separate and are in our article on wage registers in Gujarat. For a registers review, see our labour law compliance service.
What the employer must keep
| Register or return | Rule | Form | Period or date as printed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Register of workers, wages, overtime, fine, deduction for damage or loss | 29(1)(a) | Form 13 | Preserved three calendar years after the last report or entry |
| Muster roll with attendance | 29(1)(b) | Form 14 | Same |
| Wage book (construction workers paid weekly or longer) | 29(1)(e) | Form 15 | Entries at least a day before disbursement |
| Service certificate (construction workers) | 29(1)(f) | Form 16 | On termination of service |
| Register of adult workers | 30 | Form 17 | Written up afresh each year; preserved twelve months |
| Identity card | 31 | Form 18 | Carried at work; duplicate on production of a photograph |
| Leave with Wages Register and card | 32, 33 | Forms 19, 20 | Register preserved three years after the last entry |
| Overtime slips | 34 | Slips in duplicate | Copy to the worker immediately after the overtime |
| Notice board | 35 | Form 21 | Copy to the Inspector-cum-Facilitator; changes communicated |
| Register of accidents and dangerous occurrences | 36 | Form 22 | Kept up to date |
| Annual return | 37 | Form 23, in duplicate | To reach the Inspector-cum-Facilitator not later than 1st February following each calendar year |
The details
Registers and language (rules 29 and 38). Manual registers are legibly entered in ink in English, Hindi or Gujarati, or the language understood by a majority of the workers; records are produced electronically, by registered post or manually on demand before the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator or an Inspector-cum-Facilitator or an authorised person. If the original is lost within the period, true copies are preserved. Where in a wage period there is no deduction, fine or overtime, a "NIL" entry is made in Form 13 (rule 38(3)). A register or return may be accepted in place of another if the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator so orders.
Identity card (rule 31). The factory Manager gives each worker an identity card with photograph, without charge, in Form 18, entering its serial number in the register of adult workers. No worker may work without carrying it, and a lost card is replaced without charge on production of a recent passport-size photograph.
Notice board (rule 35). Every employer or contractor displays at a conspicuous place, in English, Hindi and the local language understood by most workers, a notice in Form 21 showing the name and address of the establishment, hours of work, wage period, date of payment of wages, details of accidents and dangerous occurrences for the last five years, the name and address of the Inspector-cum-Facilitator and the date of payment of unpaid wages.
Annual return (rule 37). Every employer sends the return in duplicate in Form 23 to the Inspector-cum-Facilitator so as to reach him not later than 1st February following the end of each calendar year, with a copy to the Director General, Labour Bureau and the Director General, Factory Advice Service and Labour Institute, electronically or otherwise.
The Inspector-cum-Facilitator (rules 39 to 42)
After each inspection the Inspector-cum-Facilitator issues, as deemed necessary, a prohibition or improvement notice pointing out non-compliance, ascertains at the next inspection whether earlier shortcomings were rectified, and records his findings. He may take a sample of a substance used or intended to be used, after informing the occupier or manager; the sample is divided into three portions, sealed and marked, one for the person informed, one for a Government Analyst or NABL laboratory and one for production in Court. If a factory fails to produce a valid factory licence during inspection, he may, after a reasonable opportunity, order cessation of activities; the order is revoked on production of a valid licence. Information he asks for is furnished forthwith if available at the factory, or within seven days if requested in writing. A factory Manager keeps a bound Inspection Book in Form 43 of at least 180 pages in duplicate, and reports a loss forthwith. Rules 40 to 42 allow orders on dangerous buildings, machinery or plant, on disrepair, and for drawings, specifications or stability tests before a specified date.
Medical officer (rules 43 and 44)
The State Government, or the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator under its control, may appoint a medical officer with a recognised medical qualification and enrolment on the Indian and State Medical Registers; no person who is the occupier of, or interested in, a factory may be appointed, subject to exemption by order. On a reference under section 42(2)(c), the medical officer gives prior notice of the date, time and place, examines the person and prepares the age and fitness certificate in Form 24 for the manager, keeping a copy; he may seek specialists' opinion for age determination and carries out the examinations and reports the State Government directs.
A worked example
Rajkot Valves Pvt Ltd keeps its Form 13 register and Form 14 muster roll in English, with NIL entries for wage periods without deductions. The manager preserves them for three calendar years after the last entry. In January, the company sends its Form 23 return in duplicate so that it reaches the Inspector-cum-Facilitator by 1 February, copied to the Labour Bureau and DGFASLI. At an inspection the Inspector asks for production of the factory licence; the manager produces it and, as a result, no cessation order issues.
Need help with OSH registers and returns?
A missing register or late annual return is easy to avoid with a calendar and a register checklist. Our labour law compliance team can check your Forms 13 to 23 against these rules.
Key takeaways
- Form 13 and Form 14 are preserved three calendar years after the last entry; a NIL entry is made for blank wage periods.
- The annual return in Form 23 must reach the Inspector-cum-Facilitator by 1st February.
- The notice board in Form 21 carries accident details for the last five years.
- A factory keeps an Inspection Book in Form 43 of at least 180 pages in duplicate.
- An Inspector may order cessation of a factory that cannot produce a valid factory licence.
Read next
- Gujarat OSH Rules, 2025: hours of work, holidays, overtime and women
- Gujarat OSH Rules, 2025: contractor's licence and inter-State migrant workers
- Code on Wages (Gujarat) Rules, 2021: registers, wage slip and forms
- Rule 72 of the Central OSH Rules: registers and records
Disclaimer: Based on the State or Union territory rules named above, as notified under the Labour Codes and consulted on 4 October 2026. Later amendments, State notifications, fees and forms should be checked in the State Gazette and on the State labour department website. This article is general information, not legal advice; check the official text before acting.