Every quarter. Rule 59 of the OSH (Central) Rules 2026 requires the employer of every factory, mine, construction site, dock and motor transport undertaking to run mock drills quarterly to test emergency preparedness, and a plantation once a year. A factory carrying on a hazardous process also needs a written on-site emergency plan approved by the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator. Both cover everyone on the premises, the contractor's crew included.
How often drills are due
Quarterly for most industrial sites, under a rule written for preparedness against "various emergencies", not only fire:
| Establishment | Mock drills | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Factory | Every quarter | OSH (Central) Rules 2026, r.59 |
| Mine | Every quarter | r.59 |
| Building or other construction work | Every quarter | r.59 |
| Dock work, motor transport undertaking, beedi and cigar premises | Every quarter | r.59 |
| Plantation | Once a year | Proviso to r.59 |
| Chemical works in Tamil Nadu (Appendix A processes) | All emergency procedures rehearsed every three months, with deficiencies corrected | TN draft OSH rules, Schedule XVI, para 23(8) |
Rule 59 sits among the welfare rules the Central Government makes under section 24 of the OSH Code, which gives that power to the Centre for every establishment [VERIFY: that rule 59 governs state-sphere factories in Tamil Nadu while the State's rules are in draft]. Tamil Nadu's draft rules of 11 April 2022 add the stricter regime for chemical works; we found no general drill rule in them.
Which sites need a written emergency plan
Every factory carrying on a hazardous process. Section 84(4) of the OSH Code requires its occupier, with the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator's approval, to "draw up an on-site emergency plan and detailed disaster control measures" and to make the safety measures known to the workers and to the public living nearby. A hazardous process is one in an industry listed in the Code's First Schedule where the materials, if not handled with special care, could seriously harm health or the environment (s.2(1)(za)).
- Identify and plan. For chemical works, the Tamil Nadu draft requires every possible emergency to be identified and reviewed every year, a plan to meet each one including outside rescue, fire-fighting and medical help, and the plan sent to the Chief Inspector-cum-Facilitator (Schedule XVI, para 23(1)–(3)).
- Warn and evacuate. A distinctive warning arrangement, checked every month, with everyone told what it means; and work stopped and the area evacuated, except for those on emergency duty, when an emergency is established (para 23(4), (6)).
- Train. Every employee trained in what to do, evacuation included, and ten per cent trained to use first-aid fire-fighting appliances (para 23(7), (9)).
- Tell the neighbours. The public who could be affected told, with the District Emergency Authority, in Tamil, English and the local language, what the warning sounds like and what to do (TN draft r.86).
Most other factories in Tamil Nadu need a written health and safety policy under rule 87 of the draft. The exemption covers power factories under 50 workers and non-power factories under 100 that run no hazardous or dangerous process.
Where the contract crew fits
Inside both the plan and the drill. Section 6(1)(h) of the OSH Code makes the employer of a factory responsible for the safety and health of "employees, workers and other persons who are on the work premises". Rule 44(3) of the Tamil Nadu draft makes it a condition of the contractor's licence that the principal employer maintains health, safety and working conditions for contract workers on its premises. The rules then reach the crew directly:
- What each worker is told. The occupier of a hazardous-process factory must supply "all workers" with information including their "role ... vis-a-vis the emergency plan of the factory in particular the evacuation procedures" (TN draft r.83(1)(xi)).
- The contractor's part in the policy. The safety policy must fix "the responsibility of the contractors, sub-contractors, transporters and other agencies entering the premises" (r.87(5)(iii)), and copies go to "all workers including contract workers" (r.87(7)(i)).
In practice the gaps are predictable. A drill run on the general shift misses the night crew, which may be largely contract labour. A muster count taken from the permanent roll leaves the contractor's people unaccounted for at the assembly point. And a crew that joined last month has not been told where the assembly point is.
When the emergency is real
A fire, explosion or release of toxic gas is a dangerous occurrence whether or not anyone is hurt. Rule 8(3) of the Tamil Nadu draft requires a notice in Form IV within twelve hours to the Inspector-cum-Facilitator and the District Collector, Sub-Collector or Revenue Divisional Officer. A death or a disabling injury triggers the accident notices as well, which apply to a contract worker injured on the site as much as to the site's own staff.
What a site should check
- Four drills a year, spread across shifts so the night crew and weekend crews take part, with the date and the number who took part recorded.
- A muster list that includes every contract worker on shift, taken from the gate register, not the payroll, with each contractor's supervisor accounting for their own crew.
- The assembly point and evacuation route in every new joiner's induction, contract crews included.
- For a hazardous-process factory, an approved on-site emergency plan, a monthly test of the warning system, and fire-fighting trainees drawn from every shift.
- The contractor's role written into the safety policy and the contract, so each supervisor knows what they do when the alarm sounds.
How Velura Services helps
Our crew is shown the site's evacuation route and assembly point at induction, and in every drill or real evacuation our supervisors account for each of our workers on shift at the assembly point. We take part in the site's drills on every shift we staff and tell the site about any gap our supervisors see, such as a new joiner who missed the briefing.
Sources
- Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 (Act 37 of 2020), Gazette text hosted by DGFASLI. Sections cited: s.2(1)(za) (hazardous process), s.6(1)(h) (factory employer responsible for all persons on the premises), s.24 (welfare facilities prescribed by the Central Government), s.84(4) (on-site emergency plan and disaster control measures), First Schedule. Opened and read.
- Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Central) Rules, 2026, G.S.R. 345(E) dated 8 May 2026, mirrored copy of the Gazette. Rule 59 (quarterly mock drills; annual for plantations), in Chapter VI, Welfare Provisions. Opened and read [VERIFY: against the e-Gazette original].
- Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Tamil Nadu) Rules, 2022 (draft), G.O. Ms. No. 38, 11 April 2022, Tamil Nadu Government Gazette Extraordinary No. 216. Rules cited: r.8(3) (dangerous occurrences, Form IV in twelve hours), r.44(3) (principal employer maintains health, safety and working conditions for contract workers), r.83(1)(xi) (workers told their role in the emergency plan), r.86 (information to the public), r.87 (health and safety policy; contractors' responsibility; copies to contract workers), Schedule XVI para 23 (chemical works: emergency procedures, warning system, quarterly rehearsal, ten per cent trained in fire-fighting). Opened and read [VERIFY: whether Tamil Nadu has since notified final rules].