The Government of Mizoram has notified its final rules under the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 (OSH Code). They took effect on publication in the Mizoram Gazette Extraordinary on 13 August 2026 and replace four older sets of state rules. This guide covers the provisions most relevant to establishments, manpower suppliers and contractors operating in Mizoram.
1. Overview
Notification No. B-11011/12/2026-LESDE · Dated 12 August 2026 · Published 13 August 2026 · Labour, Employment, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Department, Government of Mizoram
The draft rules were pre-published on 2 June 2026, and no objections were received during the 45-day consultation period. The rules were then finalised under sections 133, 135 and 137 of the OSH Code and apply to the whole of Mizoram.
Rules superseded
- Mizoram Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Rules, 2015
- Mizoram Factories Rules, 2014
- Mizoram Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Rules, 2004
- Inter-State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Mizoram Rules, 2005
What the rules cover
Registration, duties of employers and employees, the State OSH Advisory Board, safety committees and officers, working hours and leave, registers and returns, inspectors, women’s employment, contract labour and inter-state migrant workers, audio-visual workers, beedi and cigar workers, factories (including hazardous processes), plantation workers, offences and compounding, and common licensing. Detailed schedules for dangerous operations are also included.
2. Compliance Deadlines at a Glance
| Action | Time limit | Form | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apply for registration of establishment | Within 60 days of the Code applying | Form-I | 4 |
| Notice of commencement / cessation (factory, contract labour, construction) | Within 30 days | Form-III | 5 |
| Pre-employment medical examination | Within 15 days of induction or before employment | Form-IV / VI | 6 |
| Appointment letter to existing employees | Within 3 months of the rules starting | Form-VII | 7 |
| Employee ID card with employee code | Within 1 month of appointment | – | 7 |
| Written confirmation of a fatal or serious accident | Within 12 hours | Form-VIII | 8 |
| Notice of occupational disease | Within 7 days of knowledge | Form-IX | 9 |
| Report action taken on an imminent danger complaint | Within 24 hours | Form-X(b) | 11 |
| Contractor licence application | 30 days before employing contract labour | Form-XXII | 49 |
| Contractor licence renewal | 45 to 90 days before expiry | Form-XXII | 49 |
| Intimation of each new work order | Within 15 days of receiving the contract | Online statement | 52 |
| Re-furnish security deposit after wages are paid from it | Within 15 days | – | 56 |
| Annual return | By 1 February of the following year | Form-XIX | 34 |
3. Registration of Establishments
Chapter II · Rules 4–5
- Apply in Form-I within 60 days of the Code becoming applicable. You can apply manually, by post or online, with a self-declaration and the registration fee (plus any late fee).
- The Registering Officer must issue the certificate within 7 days. If they don’t, the establishment is deemed registered and the certificate is auto-generated.
- Factories, contract labour establishments and construction works must file a notice of commencement or cessation in Form-III within 30 days. A cessation notice must certify that all worker dues are paid and that no hazardous chemicals remain stored on the premises. Form-III is shared automatically with EPFO and ESIC.
- Registration and late fees are notified by the State Government from time to time.
4. Duties of Employers
Chapter III · Rules 6–11
Health examination (Rule 6)
- Free annual check-up for every employee aged 45 or above
- Examination within 15 days of joining, or before employment
- Examination after any serious bodily injury
- Every 6 months for workers in hazardous processes
- Keep records in a Health Register (Form-V) and fitness certificate (Form-VI), and share results with the employee
Appointment letter & ID (Rule 7)
- Issue an appointment letter in Form-VII to every employee
- Existing employees without one must receive it within 3 months of the rules starting
- Give each employee a unique employee code and an ID card within 1 month of appointment
Accidents & dangerous occurrences (Rule 8)
- Report a death or serious injury immediately by phone, messenger or electronically
- Confirm in writing in Form-VIII within 12 hours
- Do not disturb the site of a fatal accident until an Inspector or police officer arrives
- 16 classes of dangerous occurrence are listed, including fire, crane collapse, falls from height, toxic leaks and a communicable disease affecting more than 10 workers
Employee rights (Rules 10–11)
- Employees report unsafe conditions in Form-X(a)
- The employer must act immediately on an imminent danger and report the action taken to the Inspector-cum-Facilitator in Form-X(b) within 24 hours
5. Safety Committee and Safety Officer
Chapter IV · Rules 23–26
Safety committee
A safety committee is mandatory in every factory or building and construction work that:
- employs 100 or more employees; or
- carries on a hazardous process or dangerous operation.
The committee has equal management and worker representation, with adequate representation of women. It serves a 3-year term and must meet at least once a quarter, with minutes available to the Inspector.
Safety officers required
| Type of establishment | Threshold for first officer | Additional officers |
|---|---|---|
| Factory | 500+ workers | +1 for 1,001–1,500 workers, then +1 per additional 1,000 |
| Factory with hazardous process | 250+ workers | +1 for 501–750 workers, then +1 per additional 500 |
| Building & construction work | 250+ workers | +1 for 1,001–1,500 workers, then +1 per additional 1,000 |
Safety officers need an engineering degree or a master’s in physics or chemistry with 2 years’ supervisory experience, or an engineering diploma with 5 years’ experience (Rule 24).
6. Working Hours and Overtime
Chapter V · Rules 27–31
| Item | Limit |
|---|---|
| Weekly hours | Maximum 48 hours |
| Daily spread-over (6-day week) | Maximum 10½ hours including rest; 7th day is a paid holiday |
| Daily spread-over (fewer than 6 days, flexible hours) | Maximum 12 hours; remaining days are paid holidays. Needs consent of the negotiating union, or a majority of workers. |
| Rest interval | At least 30 minutes after no more than 5 hours of continuous work |
| Overtime rate | Twice the ordinary rate for work beyond 8 hours a day or 48 hours a week, paid at the end of each wage period |
| Overtime cap | 4 hours a day, 24 hours a week, 125 hours a quarter |
| Daily wage of a monthly-paid worker | Monthly wage ÷ 26 |
| Rounding of overtime | 15–30 minutes counts as 30 minutes; more than 30 minutes counts as 1 hour |
Display the notice of periods of work (Form-XI) at the workplace and send a copy to the Inspector-cum-Facilitator electronically. An adult may work in two factories on the same day only with the Inspector’s prior approval and within 8 hours in total (Rule 30).
7. Employment of Women
Chapter VIII · Rules 44–45
A woman worker may not work more than 9 hours a day or 48 hours a week. She may work before 6:00 a.m. or after 7:00 p.m. only if all of these conditions are met:
Consent & safety
- Her written consent
- Doorstep pick-up and drop transport
- Well-lit workplace, passages and surroundings
- Toilets, washrooms and drinking water near the workplace
- Women security staff at entry and exit points
- Women employed in batches of at least 5, with at least 2 women on a night shift
Facilities & governance
- At least one-third of night-shift supervisors to be women, wherever applicable
- Separate mess room, and dormitory if required
- Emergency vehicle where 100+ women work in a shift
- POSH Act 2013 compliance and an internal committee headed by a woman, with at least half its members women
- A grievance meeting with women workers’ representatives every 8 weeks
- No deployment against maternity benefit provisions
Pregnant women may not work in dangerous operations involving carcinogenic or teratogenic substances. They must be deployed only where other women are working (Rule 45).
8. Registers, Notices and Returns
Chapter VI · Rules 32–34
Registers to be kept electronically (Rule 32)
| Register / document | Form |
|---|---|
| Register of wages and deductions | Form-XII |
| Register of accidents and dangerous occurrences | Form-XIII |
| Register of leave with wages | Form-XIV |
| Register of adolescent workers | Form-XV |
| Muster roll | Form-XVI |
| Monthly wage slip to every employee | Form-XVII |
| Attendance card (factories), reissued every month | Form-XVIII |
- Keep registers for 5 calendar years after the last entry.
- Manual registers are allowed only with prior permission from the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator, and must be in English, Mizo or the language most workers understand.
- Produce registers on demand, electronically or by registered post.
Notice board (Rule 33)
Display the establishment’s name and address, hours of work, wage period and payment date, any unpaid wages, accidents in the last 5 years, and contact details of the Inspector-cum-Facilitator or District Labour & Employment Officer.
Annual return (Rule 34)
File the unified annual return in Form-XIX electronically by 1 February each year, covering the previous calendar year.
9. Contract Labour Licensing
Chapter IX · Rules 46–58
Applying for a licence
- Apply in Form-XXII at least 30 days before deploying contract labour
- Pay the fee, plus a per-worker bank guarantee or security at the rates the State notifies
- The licence is issued in Form-XXIII within 45 days. If there is no decision by then, it is granted automatically.
- Valid for up to 5 years; non-transferable
- Renewal: apply 45–90 days before expiry. Late applications attract a 25% extra fee.
- An amendment for a change in headcount needs a fee and any additional security
Licence conditions
- Wages at least the Code on Wages, 2019 rates, or any higher rate agreed or awarded
- Equal wages, hours, holidays and conditions as the principal employer’s own workers doing the same or similar work
- Crèche where 50 or more contract workers are ordinarily employed
- All contract workers to be enrolled in EPF and ESI, where applicable
- Display the licence at the work site
- Notify any change in headcount or conditions electronically
Ongoing obligations
- Work-order intimation (Rule 52): within 15 days of receiving a contract, report the principal employer, site address, start date, number of workers and duration online. Intentional failure can lead to suspension or cancellation of the licence (Rule 53), with an appeal possible within 30 days.
- Wages (Rule 55): a wage period may not exceed one month. Pay wages as required by the Code on Wages, 2019.
- Unpaid wages (Rule 56): if wages go unpaid, the authority can pay workers from the contractor’s security deposit. The contractor must top up the deposit within 15 days or face suspension.
- Experience certificate (Rule 57): issue one in Form-XXV on request.
- Security refund (Rule 50): apply in Form-XXIV with a completion notice and an affidavit that no worker dues are pending. Refunds are normally processed within 30 days.
- Core activity disputes (Rule 58): whether an activity is “core”, where contract labour is restricted, is decided by the notified authority, which reports within 60 days.
For manpower and facility service providers: the equal-pay condition means that if your deployed staff do the same work as the client’s direct employees, they must receive the same wage rates, hours, holidays and conditions. Check this with each principal employer before you price a contract.
10. Inter-State Migrant Workers
Chapter IX · Rules 59–61
- Annual journey allowance: a lump-sum to-and-fro fare to the worker’s native place, at least second-class train or bus fare, for workers with 180 days of service.
- Food during travel: ₹100 per family member per day of travel, where the family lives with the worker at the workplace.
- Helpline: the LESDE Department will set up a toll-free helpline for migrant workers’ queries and grievances.
11. Factories, Penalties and Common Licence
Factory licence (Ch. XII)
- Apply in Form-XXVIII; the licence is issued in Form-XXX
- Valid for up to 5 years; auto-renewal is available online on self-certification
- Apply for amendments at least 15 days ahead. Exceeding the licensed limits without an amendment costs a 100% extra fee.
- Schedules cover hazardous processes such as lead, chemicals, cashew, benzene and solvent extraction
Penalties & compounding (Ch. XIV)
- Penalty authority: Joint Labour Commissioner (Joint Director for factories)
- Appellate authority: Labour Commissioner (Director of Factories & Boilers for factories)
- Compoundable offences: apply in Form-XXXIV, pay the amount within 15 days, and receive a certificate within 10 days
- Unpaid compounding amounts are recovered as arrears of land revenue
Common licence (Rule 152)
- One online application in Form-XXII covers a factory, contract labour, or both
- Decision within 45 days, otherwise the licence is deemed issued
- Valid for 5 years; appeal within 30 days
- Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator: the Labour Commissioner, Mizoram
- Field enforcement: Inspectors-cum-Facilitators and District Labour & Employment Officers
- State OSH Advisory Board chaired by the LESDE Minister; meets at least every 4 months
12. Forms Quick Reference
| Form | Purpose | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| I | Application for registration of establishment | 4 |
| III | Notice of commencement / cessation | 5 |
| IV, V, VI | Medical examination, health register, fitness certificate | 6 |
| VII | Appointment letter | 7 |
| VIII | Notice of accident / dangerous occurrence | 8 |
| IX | Notice of occupational disease | 9 |
| X(a), X(b) | Employee report of unsafe condition; employer’s action report | 10–11 |
| XI | Notice of periods of work | 31 |
| XII – XVI | Wages, accidents, leave, adolescents, muster roll registers | 32 |
| XVII | Wage slip | 32 |
| XVIII | Attendance card | 32 |
| XIX | Unified annual return | 34 |
| XXII | Application for licence (contractor / beedi / common) | 47, 64, 152 |
| XXIII | Certificate of licence | 47, 66 |
| XXIV | Refund of security deposit | 50 |
| XXV | Experience certificate for contract labour | 57 |
| XXVIII, XXX | Factory licence application and licence | 73 |
| XXXIV | Application for compounding of offence | 150 |
Frequently Asked Questions
- When did the Mizoram OSH Rules, 2026 come into force?
On publication in the Mizoram Gazette Extraordinary, Issue No. 674, dated 13 August 2026.
- Do I still need a licence under the old Contract Labour Rules, 2004?
The 2004 rules have been superseded. New licences, renewals and amendments now follow Chapter IX of the 2026 rules, using Form-XXII. Actions already taken under the old rules are saved.
- How much is the licence fee and security deposit?
The rules do not fix amounts. Fees and the per-worker security or bank guarantee are notified separately by the State Government from time to time, so check the latest notification or the labour portal.
- Must contract workers get the same pay as the client’s own staff?
Yes, where they do the same or similar work. Wage rates, holidays, hours and service conditions must be no less favourable than for the principal employer’s direct workers. Disputes over whether the work is similar go to a government-notified authority, whose decision is final.
- Can women work night shifts in Mizoram?
Yes, with their consent and subject to all the conditions in Rule 44: transport, lighting, women security staff, minimum batch sizes, POSH compliance and the other safeguards listed above.
- Are electronic registers mandatory?
Yes, by default. Manual registers need prior permission from the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator.
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