The Occupational Safety, Health, and Working Conditions Code, 2020 (OSHWC Code) represent a significant milestone in India’s industrial regulations landscape, emphasizing the welfare and safety of workers. This comprehensive code, replacing the Factories Act of 1948, addresses various aspects, including working conditions, young worker employment, and overall worker well-being across manufacturing, processing, and production facilities.
Streamlining Labor Laws and the Role of Technology
The OSHWC Code’s most notable feature is its integration of 13 existing labour legislations into a single, simplified framework. By reducing the number of sections from 622 to 134, it aims to streamline compliance and ensure uniformity in regulations. In this context, technology, such as computer vision, which can aid in simplifying and enhancing compliance procedures, becomes particularly relevant.
Scope and Applicability
The OSHWC Code applies to a wide range of establishments, including those with ten or more workers in various industries like manufacturing, construction, and transportation. Its comprehensive approach also extends to contract laborers in government offices, ensuring safety across diverse work environments. Real-time monitoring of safety in these varied settings can be instrumental in offering real-time insights into compliance.
Simplified Registration and Digital Records
Under the OSHWC Code, new establishments must register within 60 days of commencement, simplifying registration processes. Furthermore, the emphasis on digital record-keeping aligns with the era of technology. Vision based emerging technologies help automate and digitize record-keeping, ensuring accuracy and accessibility while reducing administrative burdens.
Occupational Safety and Health Advisory Boards and Technological Insights
The establishment of advisory boards at national and state levels to enhance safety standards is a key feature of the OSHWC Code. These boards consist of experts who advise on safety regulations, making workplaces safer. Advisory boards can now make informed decisions based on valuable data and insights generated through AI based dashboards that are comprehensive, real-time and accurate.
Inspector-Cum-Facilitator and Technology’s Role
Inspector-Cum-Facilitators, empowered by the OSHWC Code, play a crucial role in enforcing safety, health, and welfare regulations. Technology, particularly computer vision, can assist these inspectors by automating inspections, identifying potential hazards, and ensuring compliance.
Special Provisions and Technology Customization
The OSHWC Code introduces special provisions tailored to the unique needs of various worker categories. Here, technology can be customized to address specific concerns. For example, computer vision can aid in monitoring the welfare and safety of women employees in line with the code’s provisions.
Threshold Amendments and Data-Driven Adaptation
Amendments to thresholds within the OSHWC Code reflect the evolving workforce dynamics. Data-driven capabilities of AI technology help organizations adapt to these changes by providing insights into compliance and safety in real-time.
Penalties and Preventive Technology
Strict penalties for code violations underscore the importance of adherence to safety and health regulations. To avoid penalties, organizations can leverage preventive technologies such as:
- PPE Detection: Ensuring employees are wearing the required safety gear.
- Fall Detection: Identifying and preventing slip and fall incidents.
- Machine Safety Monitoring: Ensuring machines are used safely.
- Emergency Response: Rapid response systems to incidents.
- Forklift Safety: Detect people and objects within close proximity to the forklift.
OSHWC Code marks a crucial step toward ensuring worker safety and welfare. Embracing technology, especially computer vision with its relevant use cases, can enhance compliance, monitor safety, and ensure that the standards set by the code are not only met but exceeded. As industries evolve, so should our commitment to safety and compliance, embracing the tools and innovations available to us.