Rule 64 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 64 sets a weekly ceiling of forty-eight hours for any worker in an establishment and says a transport vehicle may be interrupted for up to fifteen minutes. It works together with the eight-hour daily limit in section 25 of the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 (the OSH Code) and the overtime rule that follows it.
Rule 64(1): no worker shall be required or allowed to work in an establishment for more than forty-eight hours in a week. Rule 64(2): in the case of a transport vehicle, a maximum of fifteen minutes' interruption is allowed at any time during which the running of the vehicle is interrupted. Hours beyond the limit attract double-rate overtime under rule 69 and section 27 of the Code.
The two layers: Code and Rule
Section 25(1) of the OSH Code says no worker shall be required or allowed to work in any establishment or class of establishment for more than eight hours in a day, and that the period of work each day is to be fixed so as not to exceed those hours, with such intervals and spread-overs as the appropriate Government notifies. The Code does not itself state a weekly figure in section 25. Rule 64 supplies it: forty-eight hours in a week.
| Source | Limit |
|---|---|
| Section 25(1)(a) of the Code | Eight hours in a day |
| Section 25(1)(b) of the Code | Intervals and spread-overs as notified by the appropriate Government |
| Rule 64(1) | Forty-eight hours in a week |
| Rule 64(2) | Maximum fifteen minutes' interruption for a transport vehicle |
Both limits apply together. An employer who stays within forty-eight hours a week still breaches the Code if any single day runs beyond eight hours without overtime treatment. Our section 25 explainer covers the sub-sections in full, including the special hours for mines, motor transport workers, working journalists and adolescents.
The 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, and the State may notify different intervals and spread-overs. For a multi-State business, a labour law compliance review can show which limits apply at each location.
Rule 64(1): forty-eight hours
The rule speaks of "any worker" in "an establishment". It is not limited to factories. The definition of "worker" and "establishment" in section 2 of the Code decides who is inside the limit; see our definitions article on employer, employee, worker and occupier.
Three practical questions come up.
What counts as "work"? The rule does not define hours of work for general establishments. For motor transport workers, the second proviso to section 25(1) says hours of work include running time, subsidiary work and periods of mere attendance at terminals of less than fifteen minutes, as the Code defines those terms. For other workers, read your workplace records against the actual time a worker is required or allowed to work.
"Required or allowed". The words cover work the employer asks for and work the employer knowingly tolerates. A worker who stays on without being asked, with the supervisor aware, is "allowed" to work.
Averaging. The rule says "in a week". It does not say that weeks may be averaged over a month or that a short week can be set off against a long one. Do not assume it.
Rule 64(2): transport vehicle interruptions
Rule 64(2) says that "in case of transport vehicle, a maximum of fifteen minutes interruption shall be allowed any time during which the running of the transport vehicle is interrupted". It connects to the Explanation to section 25(1), which defines "running time" as the time from when a vehicle starts functioning at the start of the working day until it ceases at the end of the day, excluding any time during which the running is interrupted for a period exceeding such duration as the Central Government may prescribe. Rule 64(2) appears to supply that duration: fifteen minutes. The rule does not cross-refer to the Explanation, so confirm the reading against the Rules for your sector. An interruption of up to fifteen minutes therefore stays inside running time, while a longer interruption, during which the driver or crew may dispose of their time as they please, can be excluded from it.
What rule 64 does not say
- It does not repeat the eight-hour day, which remains in section 25(1)(a).
- It does not list exemptions. Overtime circumstances for dock, mine and building or other construction work are in rule 69; see our rule 69 article.
- It does not set intervals or spread-overs. Section 25(1)(b) leaves those to the appropriate Government.
- It does not cover working journalists, for whom rule 65 has separate hours; see our rule 65 article.
- It does not state a penalty. Breach of the Code or Rules is dealt with under the Code's penal provisions; see our section 94 explainer.
Practical examples
Example 1. A packaging unit asks a worker to cover for an absent colleague and work nine hours a day for six days, 54 hours in all. Each day is beyond the eight-hour daily limit and the week is beyond forty-eight hours, so the extra time is overtime to be dealt with under rule 69.
Example 2. A bus operator records a fifteen-minute halt at a level crossing as running time. A forty-minute break at a terminal where the crew may leave is not running time, because the interruption exceeded fifteen minutes.
Example 3. An accounts team in an office works 47 hours in a week with one ten-hour day. The weekly limit is met, but the day exceeds eight hours and needs to be treated under the daily limit and the overtime rule.
Compliance checklist
- Set rosters so that no worker exceeds eight hours a day or forty-eight a week.
- Keep attendance records that show actual hours; see the registers in our rule 72 article.
- Treat hours beyond the limits as overtime and pay double rate.
- For transport staff, record interruptions and terminal attendance.
- Check State notifications on intervals and spread-overs.
Need help with working hours and overtime compliance?
If your rosters, payroll and attendance systems do not line up with the limits, it is better to find out before an inspection. Our team can test your shift patterns and overtime payments against the Code and the Central Rules. Start with our labour law compliance service.
Key takeaways
- Rule 64(1) limits a worker to forty-eight hours in a week.
- Section 25(1)(a) of the Code separately limits the day to eight hours.
- Rule 64(2) allows a maximum fifteen-minute interruption for a transport vehicle.
- Hours beyond the limits are overtime payable at twice the rate under rule 69.
- State rules apply where the State is the appropriate Government.
Read next
- Section 25 of the OSH Code: daily and weekly working hours
- Rule 69: wages for overtime
- Rule 65: working hours of working journalists
- Working hours for adults: 48 hours per week under the Factories Act
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.