Web Discussion on Occupational Safety, Health & Working Conditions (OSHWC) Code, Central Draft OSHWC Rules & Bihar OSHWC Rules

[Gopal Krishna]

Web Discussion on Occupational Safety, Health & Working Conditions (OSHWC) Code, Central Draft OSHWC Rules & Bihar OSHWC  Rules  

Date: 17 January, 2022

Time: 02 PM-04 PM

Google Meet Link:

https://meet.google.com/wcd-khec-jtx

It is significant that 13 pre-existing central laws made during 1948-1996 have been subsumed under the new OSHWC Code. Those laws which have been subsumed include Factories Act, Working Journalists Act, Inter State Migrant Workmen Act, the Contract Labour (Regulation & Abolition) Act, the Building and Other Construction Workers Act among others. 

Notably, working journalists including editors, cartoonists, photographers, writers, proof-readers, sub-editors and reporters are defined as "workers" under the Code. 

The three Schedules under Occupational Safety, Health & Working Conditions (OSHWC) Code 2020 refer to hazardous asbestos, banned in 70 nations. It also refers to asbestosis, an incurable disease. 

Strangely, the list of 427 hazardous chemicals/substances does not mention asbestos in Sub-Schedule-I of Schedule I &  the list of 179 toxic chemicals in Sub-Schedule-3 of Schedule-II but Sub-Schedule-15 of Schedule-III deals with "Handling and Processing of Asbestos, Manufacture of any Article of Asbestos and any Process of Manufacture or otherwise in which Asbestos is used in any Form". 

Asbestos is not mentioned in the list because Indian government's continued opposition to listing of carcinogenic chrysotile asbestos in the UN 's Prior Informed Consent (PIC) list under UN's Rotterdam Convention on PIC Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade along with governments of Pakistan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Zimbabwe, Cuba, Kyrgyzstan.  In 2011, India had supported it's inclusion in the UN list of hazardous substances but under the influence of asbestos producers like Russia it reversed it's stance later on. 

The discussion will focus on Central OSHWC Code, Draft Central OSHWC Rules & Draft Bihar OSHWC Rules, ahead of All India General Strike by workers on February 23-24, 2022.

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Gopal Krishna

Web: www.asbestosfreeindia.org

www.toxicswatch.org