Andhra Pradesh 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.
Chapters XI, XII and XIII of the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Andhra Pradesh) Rules, 2026 deal with three specific groups: audio-visual workers and their producers, beedi and cigar establishments that need a premises licence, and plantations, where the employer provides housing, water, toilets, a crèche, a school, medical care and recreation.
If your business is in any of these sectors, a review by our labour law compliance team can map the facilities and licences you need.
The rules are the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Andhra Pradesh) Rules, 2026, as notified by G.O.Rt.No.146 dated 6 August 2026. A beedi and cigar premises licence is granted electronically within forty-five days, failing which it is deemed issued, and is valid for five years (rule 65). In a plantation, houses are built for at least eight per cent of resident workers every year (rule 72), a crèche is required where fifty or more workers are employed (rule 92), and a school where children aged 6 to 12 exceed 25 (rule 96).
Notification and commencement
The rules are the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Andhra Pradesh) Rules, 2026, as notified by G.O.Rt.No.146 dated 6 August 2026. Later amendments and State notifications under these rules should be checked in the State Gazette. Rule 1(3) says they come into force on the date of their final publication in the Official Gazette; the four Labour Codes were brought into force from 21 November 2025. The contract labour chapter is in our previous OSH article.
Audio-visual workers (rules 63 and 64)
The Central rules are rules 105 and 106. The form of agreement between an audio-visual worker and the producer is Form XIX. The agreement is registered with the competent authority notified by the State Government, and a copy is uploaded on the Labour Department portal or by another method the State prescribes. Reference of disputes to a conciliation officer or tribunal follows the Industrial Relations Code, 2020 and its rules.
Beedi and cigar premises licence (rules 65 to 71)
The Central rule is rules 33 to 35.
- Application (rule 65(1) and (2)). Electronically in Form XIII to the notified licensing authority through the Meeseva or other notified portal, with scaled plans of the site and surroundings and of the buildings (lighting, ventilation, escape in case of fire, plant and machinery, aisles) and online payment of the fee.
- Grant (rule 65(3) and (4)). The authority considers whether the site was altered or any premises closed within twelve months before the application to prejudice labour, and grants the licence electronically within forty-five days, "failing which the license shall be deemed to be issued and shall be auto-generated".
- Licence and conditions (rule 65(5)). In Form XVI. Conditions: manufacturing only in the specified part of the premises; employees not above the number specified; no machinery or power not specified; no extension or structural alteration without prior written permission; non-transferable except under rule 53; fees not refunded except under rule 68; and valid for five years, renewable thereafter.
- Fee table (rule 65(6)).
| Employees proposed to be employed on any day | Fee where power-driven machinery is used (Rs) | Fee where it is not used (Rs) |
|---|---|---|
| Does not exceed ten | 500 | 300 |
| Exceeds ten but not twenty | 1000 | 800 |
| Exceeds twenty but not fifty | 1500 | 1200 |
| Exceeds fifty but not a hundred | 2500 | 2200 |
| Exceeds one hundred but not two hundred and fifty | 3500 | 3200 |
| Exceeds two hundred and fifty | 5000 | 4000 |
The appeal fee under section 75 is Rs.500/-, and both fees are "as modified by means of a notification issued by the Government from time to time".
- Renewal (rule 65(7)). In Form XIII at least 30 days before expiry. Late renewal carries an additional fee of 25% within one month after expiry, 50% after 30 days but within 60 days, and hundred per cent after 60 days and within 90 days, on top of the renewal fee.
- Appeal (rule 66). Within thirty days of receipt of the decision, before the appellate authority, which may confirm, modify or reverse.
- Amendment (rule 67). A statement of the change, a statement of changed particulars in Form XIII, fresh plans if needed, the fee (Rs 500/- plus the amount that would have been payable had the licence been issued in amended form, less the fee paid) and the uploaded licence.
- Refund (rule 68). If the authority refuses to grant or renew, it orders refund of the fee within thirty days.
- Death of licensee (rule 69). The heir applies within one month in Form XVII.
- Single licence (rule 70). For more than one establishment in different districts, in Form-XIII with the cumulative fees; valid five years.
- Work outside premises (rule 71). Wetting or cutting of beedi or tobacco leaves outside the premises needs permission on Form XX, which the authority may issue online within seven days, subject to a valid licence, suitability of the place and the worker ceiling; the employer keeps a record in Form XXI.
Plantation: housing (rules 72 to 81)
The Central rule is rules 42 and 43. Every employer provides housing for every worker and his family residing in a plantation, as near as possible to the place of work. It may be built over several years provided houses are built for "at least eight per cent of the resident workers every year" (rule 72). Standards come from the State Government on the technical or advisory committee's recommendation (rule 73). Housing is on dry, well-drained land with electric lighting, maintained roads and drains, and the vicinity kept clear of refuse (rule 74). Within three months of the Government's intimation of approval of the committee's recommendations, the employer submits a housing scheme to the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator of plantations (rule 75), builds as approved and submits an annual return in Form-XII (rule 76), repairs at its own expense, whitewashes houses once a year and varnishes or paints wooden parts once in three years (rule 77). No rent is charged (rule 78). Houses are allotted one per worker and family, or one for not more than four workers without families, and conditions of occupation are given to each worker in writing in a language he understands (rule 79). After death a family may retain the house for up to three months; after transfer or termination up to two months; after retirement or resignation up to one month; during leave for the leave period; and while a discharge or dismissal dispute is pending. An unwilling occupant can be required by the Industrial Tribunal to vacate within one month of notice (rules 80 and 81).
Plantation: water, toilets and drains (rules 82 to 91)
Wholesome drinking water is available at worksites at all times during working hours, from a public supply or a source approved by the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator, stored in clean vessels renewed at least daily, with periodic sterilisation of wells where the Inspector-cum-Facilitator orders it; a water-quality report may be called for at intervals, "i.e., once in six months" (rules 82 to 86). One toilet is provided for every fifty hectares of cultivated area or part, in addition to house toilets, with at least one for all genders, and one urinal for every twenty hectares or part (rules 87 and 89). Toilets are private, signed "For men only" or "For Women only" where both are employed, and have water (rule 88). Drains are impermeable and regularly flushed (rule 91).
Plantation: crèche, school, medical and welfare (rules 92 to 108)
| Facility | Rule | As printed |
|---|---|---|
| Crèche | 92 | Where fifty or more workers (including contractor's) are employed or were on any day of the preceding twelve months; not less than 1.5 square metres per child; woman trained in child care in charge; fenced shady playground |
| Milk and refreshment | 94 | At least 300 ml of clean pure milk per child per day; mothers allowed two intervals to feed; refreshment for children over two |
| Clothing and soap | 95 | Two sets of clothing once a year per child; 100 grams soap and 100 millilitres oil per month, at the employer's cost |
| Primary school | 96 | Where children aged 6 to 12 exceed 25; within 1.6 kilometres of quarters; one teacher for every forty children; no fees from the workers' children |
| Medical cover | 97 | Health facilities to every worker and family, or ESI cover under the Social Security Code |
| Own garden hospital | 99 | 1,000 or more workers; combined garden hospital and dispensary for more than 200 and fewer than 1,000; dispensary with the doctor visiting at least thrice a week for 200 or fewer |
| Garden hospital standards | 99 | One qualified medical practitioner for every 1750 workers or part; at least 15 beds per 1,000 workers; six square metres per bed |
| Group hospital | 100 | Minimum 100 beds; at least three beds per 700 workers; 7.5 square metres per bed; 15 nurses for 100 beds |
| Recreation | 106 to 108 | Recreation centre and, where flat space is available, a playground |
Outpatient and inpatient treatment, drugs, and maternity and sickness certificates are provided without charge to the worker and paid for by the plantation; diet charges depend on any award, agreement, custom or past practice, otherwise workers pay at a State-fixed rate (rule 103). If the employer fails to provide medical facilities, the State arranges them elsewhere at the employer's cost, recoverable as an arrear of land revenue (rules 104 and 105).
Plantation: insecticides and chemicals (rules 109 to 116)
Women and adolescent workers may handle insecticides, chemicals and toxic substances following the State's standard operating procedures (rule 109). Handling is supervised by a competent graduate (in agriculture or science, or with a UPASI certificate course) trained at a designated institute and holding a St. John's Ambulance first aid certificate (rule 110), and workers are trained in occupational health, protective equipment, emergency procedures and handling (rule 111). Exposed workers are medically examined at the time of employment and once a year, in Form V, and a health record is kept (rule 112). Washing, bathing, cloak room, protective clothing and equipment, precautionary notices, transport and storage rules and a list of chemicals follow in rules 113 to 116.
A worked example
Araku Valley Coffee Estates, an invented plantation employing 400 workers, plans its housing programme with houses for at least eight per cent of its resident workers every year. It runs a crèche for the workers' children under six, with milk of at least 300 ml a day, and a dispensary with a visiting doctor, because it falls in the band above 200 and below 1,000 workers. Its pesticide handlers are examined in Form V every year, and the estate's housing scheme sits with the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator of plantations.
Common lapses
- Charging rent for plantation housing.
- Missing the 30-day renewal window for a beedi licence and paying the 25%, 50% or hundred per cent surcharge.
- Leaving wetting or cutting work outside the premises without a Form XX permission.
- Not recording the annual medical examination of chemical handlers.
- Counting contractor's workers out when testing the crèche threshold of fifty.
Need help with plantation, beedi or audio-visual compliance?
These chapters carry long checklists, and the fee and threshold numbers can be modified by notification. Our labour law compliance team can build a facility checklist for your unit.
Key takeaways
- Beedi and cigar licence: 45-day deemed grant, five-year validity, fee table by employees and machinery, late renewal surcharge of 25%, 50% or hundred per cent.
- Plantation housing: eight per cent of resident workers each year; no rent.
- Crèche from fifty workers; school above 25 children aged 6 to 12.
- Medical: garden hospital, dispensary or group hospital by workforce band, or ESI cover.
- Audio-visual agreement in Form XIX, registered with the competent authority.
Read next
- OSH (Andhra Pradesh) Rules, 2026: the contractor's licence, fees and security deposit, and inter-State migrant workers
- OSH (Andhra Pradesh) Rules, 2026: factories, plans, licence fees and hazardous processes
- Rules 33 to 35 of the OSH Central Rules, 2026: beedi and cigar premises
- Rules 105 and 106 of the OSH Central Rules, 2026: audio-visual worker agreement
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.