Factories Act 1948 / Section 108

Section 108 of the Factories Act 1948 - Display of Notices

Section 108 formerly prescribed how statutory notices were to be displayed in factories. The Factories Act, 1948 has since been repealed, so this page explains the former provision and the current notice-display requirements under the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Central) Rules, 2026.

Current legal status The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 came into force on 21 November 2025. Section 143 of that Code repealed the Factories Act, 1948. Accordingly, Section 108 is retained below for historical and reference purposes and should not be read as the present standalone statutory requirement.

What Section 108 of the Factories Act required

Section 108 was titled "Display of notices". In substance, it required factories to display prescribed statutory information and regulated the language, location and condition of notices. It also empowered the Chief Inspector to require additional health, safety or welfare notices or posters.

Former Section 108: Display of notices

(1) In addition to the notices required to be displayed in any factory by or under this Act, there shall be displayed in every factory a notice containing such abstracts of this Act and of the rules made thereunder as may be prescribed and also the name and address of the Inspector and the certifying surgeon.

(2) All notices required by or under this Act to be displayed in a factory shall be in English and in a language understood by the majority of the workers in the factory, and shall be displayed at some conspicuous and convenient place at or near the main entrance to the factory, and shall be maintained in a clean and legible condition.

(3) The Chief Inspector may, by order in writing served on the manager of any factory, require that there shall be displayed in the factory any other notice or poster relating to the health, safety or welfare of the workers in the factory.

Meaning and purpose of the former provision

The expression "display of notices" referred to making prescribed statutory information visibly available to workers at the factory. The former provision focused on practical accessibility: the notices had to be placed conspicuously, use languages workers could understand and remain clean and legible.

The reference to the Inspector concerned the factory-inspection authority under the former Act. The certifying surgeon was the medical professional appointed under the Factories Act for statutory functions including examination and certification in matters governed by that Act.

Current law after repeal of the Factories Act

The current central framework is the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020, commonly referred to as the OSHWC Code. It consolidated and replaced several central labour enactments, including the Factories Act, 1948. The Code became effective on 21 November 2025.

The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Central) Rules, 2026 came into force on publication in the Official Gazette on 8 May 2026. These Rules now contain specific central requirements for workplace notices and records.

Rule 73: Display on notice board

Under Rule 73 of the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Central) Rules, 2026, every employer covered by the Rule must display specified information at conspicuous places in the workplace under the employer's control.

The notice-board information includes:

name and address of the establishment;
hours of work;
wage period;
date of payment of wages;
details of accidents and dangerous occurrences in the establishment for the preceding five years;
name and address of the Inspector-cum-Facilitator having jurisdiction; and
date of payment of unpaid wages to the workers.

Rule 73 requires this information to be displayed in English or Hindi and in the local language. This current requirement should be read with the OSHWC Code, the applicable Central or State rules and any establishment-specific directions.

Rule 71: Notice of periods of work

Rule 71 deals separately with the notice referred to in Section 31(2) of the OSHWC Code. The notice of periods of work is to be displayed at conspicuous places on a notice board or electronic board of the establishment, maintained in the prescribed form, and a copy is to be sent to the Inspector-cum-Facilitator in the prescribed manner.

Practical compliance point

Employers should not rely only on the old wording of Section 108. For present compliance, identify whether the establishment falls within the Central or State sphere, check the OSHWC Code and the rules applicable to that establishment, and ensure that all required notices are current, conspicuous and in the required languages.

Official legal sources

Updated: 26 September 2026. This page is an informational legal reference. State-specific rules, notifications and amendments may impose additional requirements.