Safety Committee 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 III and IV of the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Bihar) Rules, 2026 (rules 6 to 22) set out what a Bihar employer owes in day-to-day safety: the annual health check, the appointment letter and identity card, accident and disease notices, and the safety committee and safety officer. They also set up the State Advisory Board. This article takes the employer-facing rules first.
The rules are the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Bihar) Rules, 2026, notified under notification 1/OSHC-01/2021-100, as notified on 30 June 2026 and published in the Bihar Gazette (Extraordinary) No. Patna 699 of 1 July 2026. Rule 1(3) says they come into force on the date of their publication in the Official Gazette. A fatal accident is notified by telephone and in Form VI within 24 hours (rule 8). A safety committee is needed where 100 or more workers are ordinarily employed or a dangerous or hazardous process is carried on (rule 20).
Later amendments and State notifications under these rules should be checked in the State Gazette. A labour law compliance review can test an establishment against rules 6 to 22.
Health check, appointment letter and identity card (rules 6 and 7)
| Duty | Rule | As printed |
|---|---|---|
| Annual health examination | 6 | The employer of a factory, motor transport undertaking, plantation, building or other construction work, or any establishment the State notifies, arranges a medical examination, without charge to the worker, for every worker who has completed 40 years of age, annually, within 120 days from the commencement of every calendar year; by a qualified medical practitioner in Form V; the certificate goes to the employer and the employee |
| Appointment letter | 7(i) | No employee is employed unless a letter of appointment in the prescribed format is issued at joining; an employee without a complete letter gets one within three months of the rule coming into force |
| Identity card | 7(ii) | Issued to all workers except daily wage workers, with the registration number and name of the establishment, name, date of birth, father's name, address, nature of employment and validity; signed by the occupier, employer, owner, agent or manager |
The appointment letter format asks for the name, date of birth, father's name, Aadhar number, LIN or registration number, UAN, ESIC insurance number if applicable, designation, skill category (unskilled, semi skilled, skilled, highly skilled), date of joining, wages, other allowances including accommodation, broad nature of duties, and nature of employment (permanent, temporary, seasonal, daily wage worker, fixed term employment, contract worker, or other). The Central rules are explained in our posts on rule 6, letter of appointment and rule 5, annual health examination.
Accident, dangerous occurrence and disease notices (rules 8 to 11)
| Event | Notice | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Accident causing death | Forthwith by telephone or mobile phone to the Inspector-cum-Facilitator, Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator, District Magistrate or Sub-divisional Officer, the officer-in-charge of the nearest police station and the family or kin; and a notice in Form VI electronically within 24 hours to the Inspector-cum-Facilitator and Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator | 8(1) |
| Injury preventing work for 48 hours or more | Notice in Form VI electronically within twenty-four hours after completion of forty-eight hours | 8(2) |
| Dangerous occurrence in the Schedule, with or without injury | Notice in Form VI within twenty-four hours to the Inspector-cum-Facilitator and Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator and the District Magistrate and Sub-divisional Officer | 8(3) |
| Death after earlier notice | Telephone and electronic notice, confirmed in writing within 24 hours of the death | 8(3) proviso |
| Disability that develops later or in spells | Report within 24 hours following the hours when total disability becomes 48 hours | 8(3) second proviso |
| Notifiable disease | Notice in the format given, sent forthwith electronically to the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator and Inspector-cum-Facilitator | 9(1) |
The Schedule to rule 8 lists sixteen classes of dangerous occurrence, including bursting of plant or pipelines under pressure, collapse or failure of cranes and hoists, explosion, fire and release of toxic gases, collapse of structures and scaffolding, spillage of hazardous substances, failure of lifting appliances in construction, rock-burst below ground and a major uncontrolled emission. A proviso excludes failures and damage due to explosion of a boiler or its accessories as defined in the Boilers Act, 2025. A qualified medical practitioner who attends a person suffering from a disease in the Third Schedule must send a written report without delay to the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator (rule 9(2)).
An employee who learns of an unsafe or unhealthy condition reports it to the employer, health and safety representative, safety officer, agent or manager as soon as practicable (rule 10). On information of imminent danger, the employer takes immediate remedial action and, whether satisfied or not, sends a report forthwith of the action to the Inspector-cum-Facilitator (rule 11). The Central posts are rule 7 of the OSH Central Rules, notice of accidents and dangerous occurrences.
The safety committee (rules 20 and 21)
A safety committee is required in every factory, motor transport undertaking, plantation, newspaper establishment and beedi and cigar establishment, and other covered establishments, (a) where 100 or more workers are ordinarily employed, (b) which carries on a process or operation declared dangerous under section 82, or (c) which carries on a hazardous process under section 2(1)(za).
| Feature | Rule | As printed |
|---|---|---|
| Tenure and meetings | 20(2) | Three years; at least once in every quarter |
| Worker representatives | 20(3) | Chosen by the registered trade union, or by the workers if there is none; adequate representation of women workers |
| Action on recommendations | 20(5) | Within 15 days from receipt of the recommendations |
| Management side | 21(1) | A senior official as Chairman; the Safety Officer or a nominated member as Secretary; a medical practitioner wherever available; a representative each from production, maintenance and other departments |
| Size | 21(1)(e) | Equal numbers of employer and worker members, not exceeding thirty |
| Minutes | 21(3) | Recorded and sent to the Inspector-cum-Facilitator |
The committee has the right to be informed of potential hazards and of accident and surveillance data, and its functions include assisting the management on the safety and health policy, creating safety awareness, discussing safety audits, risk assessments and emergency plans, and reviewing implementation of its own recommendations. See rule 14 of the OSH Central Rules, safety committee.
Safety officers (rule 22)
| Item | As printed |
|---|---|
| Eligibility (factory and building or construction work) | A recognised engineering or technology degree with not less than 2 years' supervisory experience; or a physics or chemistry degree with not less than 5 years; or an engineering or technology diploma with not less than 5 years; and a degree or diploma in industrial safety recognised by the State or Central Government, or a pass in a written and viva-voce examination by the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator |
| Alternative eligibility | A recognised engineering or technology degree or diploma with not less than 5 years in a Government department administering factories or construction works, or 5 years full time on training, education, consultancy or research in accident prevention |
| Factory with 500 or more persons | At least one up to 500, and one more for every additional 500 |
| Hazardous-process factory or construction work with 250 or more | At least one up to 250, and one more for every additional 250 |
The safety officer advises on injury prevention, job safety studies, plant inspections, investigation of accidents, dangerous occurrences and notifiable diseases, training and campaigns, ensures an emergency plan, maintains a bound paged book of his work, and, except in an emergency, is not assigned other duties (rule 22(5)).
The State Advisory Board (rules 12 to 18)
The Board is chaired by the Additional Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary or Secretary of the Labour Resources and Migrant Workers Welfare Department, with ex-officio members from industries, mines and geology, the State Pollution Control Board, the Labour Commissioner, Director Medical Services ESI, the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator of Factories and the Chief Inspector of Boiler; five representatives each of employers and employees; five eminent persons; and a Joint Labour Commissioner as Member Secretary. It meets at least once in a year (rule 12). Rule 19 requires the employer to submit occupational safety and health statistics electronically on the designated web portal.
A worked example
Begusarai Rolling Mills Pvt Ltd employs 640 workers and carries on a hazardous process. It needs a safety committee with equal employer and worker members, meeting each quarter, and acts on its recommendations within 15 days. As a factory with hazardous processes and 640 persons, it appoints safety officers on the 250 scale: two, then more as numbers rise. When a crane hoist fails and injures a worker for more than 48 hours, it sends Form VI electronically within twenty-four hours after the forty-eight hours are complete.
Need help with safety committees and notices in Bihar?
The 24-hour notice, the 15-day committee follow-up and the safety-officer scale are easy to miss in a busy plant. Our labour law compliance team can check your committee, safety officers and accident-notice routine against rules 8, 20, 21 and 22.
Key takeaways
- Workers aged 40 and over get an annual medical examination within 120 days of each calendar year's start, without charge to them (rule 6).
- Accident, injury and dangerous-occurrence notices go in Form VI within 24 hours (rule 8).
- A safety committee is needed at 100 or more workers or any dangerous or hazardous process; it meets quarterly and its recommendations are acted on within 15 days (rules 20 and 21).
- Safety officers are required on the scales of 500 and 250 persons (rule 22).
- A Joint Labour Commissioner is Member Secretary of the State Advisory Board (rule 12).
Read next
- OSH (Bihar) Rules, 2026: notification, definitions and registration of establishments
- OSH (Bihar) Rules, 2026: working hours, weekly holidays, compensatory leave and overtime
- Rule 14 of the OSH Central Rules: safety committee
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.