Employee/Labour welfare Practices in India

1. The Directive Principles of State Policy in our Constitution expresses the need for labour welfare in this way: The State will work to advance the welfare of the people by ensuring and defending a social order that is based on social, economic, and political fairness and that informs all national institutions.
2. The State will specifically focus its policies on ensuring that: Every citizen, male and female alike, has the right to a sufficient means of subsistence; and That ownership and control of material resources are allocated in a way that promotes the general welfare.
3. The government must provide for maternity leave and fair and decent working conditions.
4. Welfare of Employees:
5. It is your responsibility to provide your staff “sufficient and acceptable” wellbeing amenities. Unless they are impractical in terms of time, expense, or physical difficulties, they have to be given. Welfare amenities include restrooms, laundry rooms, areas for rest and change, refreshments, and personal security features like lockers.
6. To ensure that people don’t have to wait in line for extended periods of time, there should be an adequate quantity of restrooms and laundry facilities. Unless you have a very small team, they should be kept separate for men and women.
7. The restrooms need to be spotless and equipped with hot and cold running water, soap, toilet paper, and drying facilities. They need to be well vented to the outside air and well-lit. Showering may be required sometimes.
8. Number of Individuals
9. Toilets Washbasins
10. 1-5 1 1\s6-25 2 2\s26-50 3 3\s51-75 4 4\s76-100 5 5
11. restrooms, hand sinks, showers, and laundry facilities Employer is required to supply:
12. Number of Individuals
13. Toilets Urinals
14. Washbasins
15. 1-15 1 1 1\s16-30 2 1 2\s31-45
16. 2 2 2\s46-60
17. 3 2 3\s61-75
18. 3 3 3\s76-90
19. 4 3 4\s91-100
20. 4 4 4
21. sanitised, well-ventilated restrooms (separate for men and women unless each restroom has a locked door);
22. Facilities for Females:
23. Facilities for Males:
24. Hot and cold (or warm) flowing water wash basins; Showers for grimy jobs that might contaminate the skin; Soap and towels (or a hand drier).
25. Drinking Water: The employer is required to provide purified drinking water in appropriate glasses or with an upward drinking jet. Marking drinking water is not necessary unless there is a considerable danger that people may consume non-drinking water.
26. Provide lockers or hanging space for clothes and changing areas for employees who wear special attire. This is a requirement of the employer. Clothes drying should be possible in the facilities.
27. Rest Areas and Dining Facilities: If your company employs nursing mothers and pregnant women, you are required to offer rest areas and eating areas for them.
28. 1948 Factories Act:
29. The Factories Act of 1948 is the main legislation in India that provides for many labour welfare initiatives. All enterprises that employ ten or more people while power is used, twenty or more workers when electricity is not utilised, and industrial processes are conducted are covered by the Act.
30. Officer for Employee Welfare:
31. According to Section 49 of the Factories Act, the employer must designate a minimum of one welfare officer in every plant with 500 or more regular employees.
32. The welfare officer should have the following qualifications: I a bachelor’s degree; (ii) a social work, social welfare, or degree in social service from an accredited institution; and (iii) sufficient command of the language used by the majority of the workforce in the region where the factory is located.
33. Supervision
34. counsellors in the field
35. Giving managerial advice
36. Developing a relationship with employees
37. collaborating with employees and management to increase output.
38. collaborating with the general public to ensure that different acts are properly enforced.
39. Workers’ Health:
40. Cleanliness: Every factory must be maintained spotless by regularly cleaning or sweeping the floors and work areas, as well as applying disinfectant as needed.
41. Waste and Effluent Disposal: Appropriate measures must be taken to dispose of wastes and turn them into harmless substances.
42. Temperature and Ventilation: Appropriate measures must be taken to regulate the temperature and ventilation to keep employees comfortable and shield their health from harm.
43. Dust and Fume: At the workplace, effective precautions must be taken to avoid the inhalation and buildup of dust, fumes, and other contaminants.
44. Artificial Humidification: The State Government is required to establish regulations outlining the necessary techniques and standards for humidification.
45. Overcrowding: Any work room in a factory that is already in operation on the day this act begins must have at least 9.9 cubic metres of space, and every factory created after this date must have at least 4.2 cubic metres of space for each employee.
46. Lighting: Sufficient and appropriate lighting requirements may be imposed by the State Government.
47. Drinking Water: A good plan must be in place to provide workers with clean drinking water at convenient locations.
48. Latrines and Urinals: A sufficient number of clean, well-ventilated, conveniently located, and constructed in accordance with specified specifications latrines and urinals for male and female employees are required.
49. Spittoons: The factory must have an adequate number of spittoons positioned in handy locations.
50. A Few Health Concerns Are Described Below Ventilation:
51. Proper ventilation is essential.
52. an external source or ventilation systems that provide clean, fresh air. It has to be cleaned up and distributed across the office.
53. In addition to eliminating and dispersing heated air, ventilation should also generate air circulation without draughts.
54. Temperature: Employers are required to offer the following in indoor workspaces: a suitable working temperature, which is typically at least 16°C or 13°C for labor-intensive tasks (unless lower temperatures are required by law);
55. local heating or cooling, such as hot and cold procedures, where it is not possible to maintain a reasonable temperature at every workspace;
56. thermal apparel and, if needed, break areas, such as for “hot work” or cold shops;
57. heating systems that don’t release objectionable or hazardous fume levels into the workplace;
58. much area in the workroom.
59. Lighting: Employer is required to supply: Bright light; reduce glare when using natural light;
60. is required, enough local illumination at workstations;
61. Appropriate lighting sources. Certain fluorescent bulbs flicker, which may be hazardous when used with spinning equipment (because the rotating part can appear to have stopped).
62. Cleanliness and Waste Materials: The employer is required to provide hygienic workspaces, furnishings, and fixtures like lighting.
63. Provide non-slip flooring and stairs; Provide trash cans for garbage; Regularly remove dirt, trash, and trade waste; Clean up spills right away; Maintain clean interior walls and ceilings.
64. Seating and Workstations: People should be able to quickly evacuate their seats in case of emergency, and workstations should be suitable for the worker and their tasks.
65. Ensure that: Work surfaces are at a reasonable height; Equipment controls are easily accessible; Seat back rests support the small of the back and must include foot rests if needed.
66. Employee safety:
67. Machinery Fencing: Every moving and potentially hazardous portion of a machinery must be safely fenced in. To avoid risk, all screws, bolts, and teeth must be fully enclosed.
68. Work on or Near Moving Equipment: Only adult male workers with specialised training are permitted to perform lubrication or other adjustment operations on moving machinery.
69. Employment of Youth on Hazardous Machines: Unless they are properly trained or are working under the supervision of an experienced individual, no youth may operate any dangerous machinery (as defined by the state government).
70. Device for Cutting Off Power: There must be a suitable device available for doing so in an emergency.
71. Hoists and lifts must be strong, constructed of high-quality materials, inspected properly at least once every six months, and appropriately guarded to keep no one or anything from being stuck.
72. Welfare of Workers: The factories Act’s Chapter V has laws pertaining to the welfare of employees. These are listed in the following order:
73. For the usage of male and female staff, separate, suitably screened washing facilities are required.
74. Appropriate locations must be set aside for drying wet clothes and for storing clothes that are not used during business hours.
75. If employees must work in a standing posture, an appropriate seating arrangement for them to take breaks must be provided.
76. A minimum of one first-aid box or cabinet per 150 workers must be supplied, fully furnished with the recommended supplies and easily accessible during factory operating hours.
77. The State Government may enact regulations mandating that the occupier of any given factory with more than 250 workers establish and maintain a cafeteria for employee usage.
78. If there is a lunch room that is regularly used by more than 150 workers, it must be well lit and ventilated.
79. Limitations on the employment of minors under the Factories Act:
80. Section 67: Prohibition Against Hiring Children for Work:
81. No kid under the age of fourteen may be employed in a factory or be compelled to do so.
82. Employment of Children and Adolescents (Section 68): Unless the following requirements are met, no child or teenager who has passed his fourteenth year of age may be compelled or permitted to work in any factory:
83. The plant manager has been issued a certificate of fitness for such young
84. This youngster or teenager carries a token at work that refers to this certificate.
85. Certificate of Fitness (Section 69): A certifying surgeon must attest that a young person is fit for work in a factory before they may be hired there.
86. Welfare Funds:
87. The welfare funds have been established to support the efforts of the employers and the State Government under respective enactments in order to provide welfare facilities to the workers employed in the beedi industry, as well as in the mines of mica, iron, manganese, and chrome ore, as well as in the limestone and dolomite mines.
88. The welfare programmes that are funded by the money include the construction of homes, healthcare facilities, drinking water supplies, assistance for dependents’ education, leisure, and other things.
89. Voluntary Benefits: Some forward-thinking companies also provide their employees benefits on a voluntary basis. These consist of loans for the purchase of homes and for the education of children, loans for personal transportation purchases, leave travel concessions, and fair price stores for necessities.
90. Equipment Associated with Worker Well-Being Work:
91. Chief Inspector of Factories: The Chief Inspector of Factories is responsible for enforcing the numerous sections of the Factories Act pertaining to worker safety, health, and welfare. Typically, they operate under the administrative jurisdiction of the labour commissioner in each state.
92. Central Labor Institute: Founded in Bombay in 1966, the institute’s goals are to: promote interest in the application of the principles of industrial safety, health, and welfare; serve as a hub of information for inspectors, employers, workers, and others concerned with the welfare of industrial labour; and facilitate the proper implementation of the Factories Act, 1948.
93. National Safety Council: The Union Ministry of Labour and Rehabilitation, Government of India, took the initiative to establish the National Safety Council on March 4, 1966, in Bombay. It was an independent national organisation whose goal was to create, grow, and maintain a national safety awareness movement.
94. Director General of Mines Safety: The Mines Act of 1952 is enforced by the Director General of Mines Safety. In order to stop the spread of fire and the risk of flooding, he examines the electrical setup and equipment in the mines and measures the wall thickness between two nearby mines.
95. Evaluation of Social Services:
96. The quantitative and qualitative shortcomings of the inspection team have been a major barrier to the effective implementation of the Factories Act’s welfare obligations.
97. Currently, a labour welfare officer must operate under management pressure, which prevents him from independently enforcing the law.
98. The management discourages female employees from bringing their kids to work, or they have transportation issues, therefore they don’t utilise the childcare services.
99. National Commission on Recommendations for Employees:
100. For the time being, the legislative requirements for safety are sufficient; nonetheless, strong enforcement is still required.
101. Every deadly event should be properly investigated and publicised among employees.
102. Employers need to engage in safety awareness campaigns and safety and accident prevention initiatives with more vigour.
103. Employers and employees should make safety a habit rather than just a routine, as it is now.
104. Unions need to be just as interested in promoting safety as they are in hearing requests for salary increases.