The Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoLE), on May 13, 2026, issued a notification under clause (b) of sub-section (1) of section 25 of the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 prescribing that no worker shall be required or allowed to work continuously for more than five hours without an interval of at least thirty minutes. The notification has been issued in exercise of the Central Government’s powers under the Code and comes into force from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette.
The notification operationalizes statutory safeguards relating to working hours and rest intervals under the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions framework and is intended to ensure minimum rest breaks during continuous work periods across establishments covered under the Code.
[Notification No. S.O. 2517(E)]
