Digital Goa, May 13 – The Goa government has unveiled a draft of the Goa Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (Labour) Rules, 2026, proposing major changes aimed at strengthening worker safety, expanding labour protections and simplifying compliance for businesses under a unified framework. The rules seek to digitise compliance, making electronic registration mandatory, with deemed approval if applications are not processed within seven days. Registration fees will range from ₹3,200 for small establishments to ₹1.2 lakh for larger units employing over 401 workers. Among the standout proposals are mandatory free annual medical check-ups for all workers, compulsory appointment letters, double overtime wages, and strict reporting of fatal workplace accidents within 24 hours to authorities, police and family members. The draft also proposes enhanced safeguards for women working between 7 pm and 6 am, including mandatory transport, well-lit workplaces and CCTV surveillance in common areas. For inter-state migrant workers, employers may have to provide a return journey allowance once every 12 months after 180 days of service, while the Labour Department plans a toll-free helpline for migrant workers. A single common licence is proposed for factories, beedi/cigar units and contract labour operations, while contractors with recent criminal convictions or insolvency records may be barred from obtaining licences. The draft rules, which replace multiple legacy labour regulations, have been placed in the public domain, with the government inviting objections and suggestions within 30 days before finalisation.
