Rules 45-46 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.
Rule 45 stops floors, docks and work areas from being crowded with machinery, materials or people. Rule 46 requires adequate natural or artificial lighting at every place where employees work or pass, with automatic emergency lighting where a lighting failure would expose them to risk.
Rule 45 requires sufficient space around machines, no dangerous crowding with machinery or materials, signs showing the number of employees allowed at one time, separated vehicle and pedestrian pathways and managed vehicle deployment. Rule 46 requires adequate lighting suitable for the work, artificial light when daylight fails and independent automatic emergency lighting where lighting failure creates risk. Both rules carry provisos that switch off some sub-rules for construction, beedi, motor transport and plantation work.
The Code source
Sections 23 and 24 of the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 (the OSH Code) cover health, working conditions and welfare facilities as prescribed. Overcrowding and lighting are working-condition matters under those provisions. See our section 23 explainer and section 24 explainer.
Central Rules apply where the Central Government is the appropriate Government. Where the State Government is the appropriate Government, the State's own OSH rules apply. For a layout and lighting review, see our labour law compliance service.
Rule 45: overcrowding
Rule 45 applies to the employer of every factory, mine, building or other construction work, beedi and cigar industrial premise, motor transport undertaking and dock work. Plantations are not named.
| Clause | Duty |
|---|---|
| (i) | Floor space in any building, or any dock area, wharf or jetty in dock work, is not crowded with machinery in a manner dangerous to employees, or overcrowded with materials or products so as to be a menace |
| (ii) | Sufficient space around individual machines or process units for normal operation, adjustments, ordinary repairs, and for materials supplied, in process or completed |
| (iii) | Adequate provisions to prevent overcrowding wherever employees work or assemble, including (a) signs or symbols (in English or Hindi and in the local language) showing overcrowding hazards in all working areas and specifying the number of employees allowed to work there at any one time; (b) vehicle and pedestrian pathways separated by barriers indicated by distinctive colours; and (c) effective management of vehicle deployment so that overcrowding is avoided |
The proviso
The proviso says sub-rules (i) and (ii) shall not apply to building or other construction work or to beedi and cigar work, and sub-rule (ii) shall not apply to a motor transport undertaking. So a construction site and a beedi unit are bound only by sub-rule (iii); a motor transport undertaking by (i) and (iii); factories, mines and dock work by all three.
The text uses "sub-rule" for what are numbered clauses (i), (ii) and (iii). The sense is clear from context.
The rule gives no square-metre or cubic-metre figure per worker. "Number of employees allowed" is something the employer determines and displays.
Rule 46: lighting (illumination)
Rule 46 applies to the employer of every factory, mine, building or other construction work, beedi and cigar premise, motor transport undertaking, dock work and plantation.
| Clause | Duty |
|---|---|
| (i) | All places, including amenities for utility services, where employees work or pass (or may have to in emergencies) have adequate natural or artificial lighting or both, suitable for the operations, during time of use; natural lighting is arranged wherever possible |
| (ii) | Artificial lighting is provided when daylight fails or is insufficient, wherever possible |
| (iii) | Where employees are exposed to risks if artificial lighting fails, automatic emergency lighting of sufficient intensity, on energy sources independent of the general lighting installations, is provided and kept in working condition |
The provisos
- Plantation workers: sub-rule (i) does not apply.
- Building or other construction work: sub-rule (iii) and the following provisions apply:
- (a) adequate and suitable lighting, including portable lighting where appropriate, close to every workplace and every place on the site where an employee may have to pass, including amenities;
- (b) the same where natural lighting is not adequate for safe working;
- (c) artificial lighting, as far as practicable, does not produce glare or disturbing shadows;
- (d) where necessary to prevent danger, lamps are protected by suitable guards against accidental breakage; and
- (e) cables of portable electrical lighting equipment are of adequate size and characteristics for the power requirements and of adequate mechanical strength for severe conditions in construction operations.
The text does not state a lux level for any work. "Adequate" and "suitable for the operations" are the tests, so the Code's standards under section 18 or any notified standards fill the gap; see our section 18 explainer.
Rules 45 and 46 at a glance
| Item | Rule 45 | Rule 46 |
|---|---|---|
| Employers covered | Factory, mine, construction, beedi and cigar, motor transport, dock work | Those plus plantation |
| Key numeric element | Headcount shown on signs (number set by the employer) | None |
| Exceptions | (i)-(ii) off for construction and beedi and cigar; (ii) off for motor transport | (i) off for plantation workers; construction has own lighting list |
| Signature requirement | Distinctively coloured pathway barriers | Independent emergency lighting |
Consequences
Rules 45 and 46 state no penalty of their own. Contravention is dealt with under the Code's penalty provisions; see our section 94 explainer.
Practical examples
Example 1. A warehouse mixes forklifts and pickers on one aisle. Under rule 45(iii)(b) and (c) it paints separate pedestrian lanes with barriers in a distinct colour and controls how many forklifts operate at once.
Example 2. A packing room displays at each station a symbol-based sign giving the maximum number of workers allowed there at one time, in English or Hindi and the local language, satisfying rule 45(iii)(a).
Example 3. A tower crane construction site uses portable floodlights at night, with guarded lamps and heavy-duty cables, as rule 46's construction proviso lists. A stair core has an emergency light on its own battery supply.
Need help with layout and lighting compliance?
Headcount signs, pathway barriers and emergency lighting are easy to inspect and easy to miss. Our labour law compliance team can help you check your floor plans and lighting against rules 45 and 46 and note which provisos apply to your business.
Key takeaways
- Rule 45 needs adequate space around machines, no dangerous crowding and headcount signs, with separated vehicle and pedestrian pathways.
- Construction and beedi and cigar work are exempt from rule 45(i) and (ii); motor transport is exempt from (ii).
- Rule 46 requires adequate lighting suitable for the work, artificial light when daylight fails and independent automatic emergency lighting where failure creates risk.
- Construction sites have five extra lighting provisions; plantation workers are exempt from rule 46(i).
- State rules apply where the State is the appropriate Government.
Read next
- Rule 44: potable water
- Rule 47: latrine and urinal accommodation
- Section 18: occupational safety and health standards
- Factories Act health provisions: cleanliness, ventilation, lighting
Disclaimer: Based on the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 (as enacted) and, where noted, the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Central) Rules, 2026 (G.S.R. 345(E), 8 May 2026), as on 30 September 2026. The Code is in force from 21 November 2025; some provisions may be notified later, and State Governments make their own rules for establishments where the State is the appropriate Government. Verify the current position before acting.