Section 11 of the Factories Act: Cleanliness and the Current Law
Section 11 of the Factories Act, 1948 historically prescribed detailed cleanliness requirements for factories. The present central framework is the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020, read with the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Central) Rules, 2026.
Updated: 26 September 2026
Current provision: Section 23 of the OSHWC Code, 2020
Section 23 - Health, safety and working conditions: Section 23 places responsibility on the employer to maintain prescribed health, safety and working conditions in an establishment. The matters that may be prescribed expressly include cleanliness and hygiene, ventilation, temperature and humidity, control of dust and fumes, drinking water, overcrowding, lighting, sanitary accommodation, and treatment of wastes and effluents.
For factories governed by the Central Rules, the detailed cleanliness standard is now found in Rule 22 of the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Central) Rules, 2026.
Rule 22 of the OSHWC (Central) Rules, 2026 - Cleanliness and hygiene
Rule 22 requires the employer of every factory within the Central Rules framework to maintain sanitary and hygienic working conditions. In practical terms, the rule covers the following duties:
- workplaces, workrooms, passageways, staircases, storerooms and service rooms must be kept sanitary and hygienic;
- walls, ceilings, windows and skylights must be kept clean and hygienically maintained;
- workroom floors must be clean and, so far as reasonably practicable, dry and non-slippery;
- wet-process areas require effective drainage, suitable dry standing arrangements and appropriate anti-skid or protective gear without expense to employees;
- workrooms must be cleaned as often as the nature of the work requires, with cleaning arranged so far as practicable during work intervals and in a manner that avoids raising dust;
- where cleaning during working hours is technically necessary, precautions must prevent contamination of the air by dust or other obnoxious substances; and
- suitable arrangements must exist for daily collection, storage, disposal or treatment of waste under effective supervision.
How the old Section 11 compares with the current framework
| Subject | Factories Act, 1948 - Section 11 | Current central framework |
|---|---|---|
| General cleanliness | Factory to be kept clean and free from effluvia and nuisance. | Section 23 of the OSHWC Code authorises prescribed cleanliness and hygiene standards; Rule 22 requires sanitary and hygienic factory conditions. |
| Floors | Daily dirt/refuse removal and weekly cleaning; drainage where floors become wet. | Floors must remain clean, and so far as reasonably practicable dry and non-slippery; wet work requires drainage and protective arrangements. |
| Walls and ceilings | Specified repainting, washing, cleaning, whitewashing or colourwashing cycles. | Rule 22 uses an outcome-based requirement that wall and ceiling surfaces, including windows and skylights, remain clean and hygienically maintained. |
| Waste | Dirt and refuse to be removed and suitably disposed of. | Daily collection, storage, disposal or treatment arrangements are required under effective supervision. |
| Cleaning method | Prescribed periodic methods and register entries. | Cleaning frequency follows the nature of work, with dust-control and air-contamination precautions. |
Historical text of Section 11 - Cleanliness
The following text is retained for reference to the legal position under the Factories Act, 1948 and for matters in which the repealed enactment may remain relevant because of repeal-and-savings provisions.
(1) Every factory shall be kept clean and free from effluvia arising from any drain, privy or other nuisance, and in particular--
(a) accumulation of dirt and refuse shall be removed daily by sweeping or by any other effective method from the floors and benches of workrooms and from staircases and passages, and disposed of in a suitable manner;
(b) the floor of every workroom shall be cleaned at least once in every week by washing, using disinfectant, where necessary, or by some other effective method;
(c) where a floor is liable to become wet in the course of any manufacturing process to such extent as is capable of being drained, effective means of drainage shall be provided and maintained;
(d) all inside walls and partitions, all ceilings or tops of rooms and all walls, sides and tops of passages and staircases shall--
(i) where they are painted otherwise than with washable water-paint or varnished, be repainted or revarnished at least once in every period of five years;
(ia) where they are painted with washable water-paint, be repainted with at least one coat of such paint at least once in every period of three years and washed at least once in every period of six months;
(ii) where they are painted or varnished or where they have smooth impervious surfaces, be cleaned at least once in every period of fourteen months by such method as may be prescribed;
(iii) in any other case, be kept whitewashed or colourwashed, and the whitewashing or colourwashing shall be carried out at least once in every period of fourteen months;
(dd) all doors and window frames and other wooden or metallic framework and shutters shall be kept painted or varnished and the painting or varnishing shall be carried out at least once in every period of five years;
(e) the dates on which the processes required by clause (d) are carried out shall be entered in the prescribed register.
(2) If, in view of the nature of the operations carried on in a factory or class or description of factories or any part thereof, it is not possible for the occupier to comply with all or any of sub-section (1), the State Government could exempt the factory, class, description or part and specify alternative methods for keeping it in a clean state.
Historical amendment notes
Act 94 of 1976 amended clause (d)(i), inserted clause (d)(ia), amended the scope of sub-section (2), and inserted references to parts of factories, with effect from 26 October 1976.
Meaning and compliance significance
Cleanliness and hygiene under the present framework is not limited to visible cleaning. It includes hygienic work areas, safe floor conditions, drainage in wet processes, control of dust during cleaning, protection against contamination, and supervised waste handling. The precise rule applicable to an establishment can depend on whether the Central Government or a State Government is the appropriate Government and on the rules and notifications applicable in that jurisdiction.
For a current compliance decision, employers should read Section 23 of the OSHWC Code together with the applicable rules, standards, notifications and any saved instruments. Historical Section 11 should not be cited as though it remains the operative central cleanliness provision after 21 November 2025.
Related factory health provisions
The old Factories Act grouped cleanliness with related health provisions concerning waste and effluents, ventilation and temperature, dust and fumes, artificial humidification, overcrowding, lighting, drinking water, latrines and urinals, and spittoons. Those internal reference pages are retained in the sidebar for research into the former statutory scheme.