If you work in any establishment covered by the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code 2020, your employer must give you a written appointment letter, and must arrange a free annual health examination for prescribed age groups at the employer's cost. These two rights are in Section 6 of the Code, which came into force on 21 November 2025. You cannot be charged for the medical check.
Short on time? Jump to what to do if your employer refuses a letter below.
The Code covers a wide range of establishments, not just factories, and merges 13 older safety and welfare laws into one.
Note: As of June 2026 the Central Rules are in draft for public consultation. Until the final rules are notified, confirm the exact age band and covered class with your labour department.
| Appointment letter (Section 6 right) | Free health check (Section 6 right) |
|---|---|
| Issued in writing to every employee | Provided free of cost to the worker |
| In the form prescribed by the appropriate Government | For age groups or classes of workers set by the rules |
| Must be issued on appointment | Repeated annually for covered workers |
| Existing un-lettered staff covered within 3 months of the Code starting | No charge can be levied on the worker for the medical exam |
The prescribed form is set by the Government and typically records your name and your employer's name, your designation and nature of work, your wages and wage period, and your date of joining. Rely on whatever the notified form requires.
Section 6(1) lists the duties of every employer. Three clauses matter for these two rights.
Appointment letter, Section 6(1)(f). The employer must “issue a letter of appointment to every employee on his appointment in the establishment, with such information and in such form as may be prescribed”. Where an employee was not issued such a letter before the Code started, the employer must issue one within three months of the commencement.
Free health examination, Section 6(1)©. The employer must “provide such annual health examination or test free of costs to such employees of such age or such class of employees … as may be prescribed by the appropriate Government”.
No charge on the worker, Section 6(1)(g). The employer must “ensure that no charge is levied on any employee, in respect of anything done or provided for maintenance of safety and health at workplace including conduct of medical examination”.
In short: the letter is owed to everyone, the health check to the notified age or class, and the cost falls on the employer, never the worker.
A written letter fixes your wages, role, and date of joining in one document, which matters for provident fund, gratuity, and any wage claim.
The health examination is a benefit, not a cost.
If you are in a covered group and your employer asks you to pay, or deducts the cost from your wages, that is contrary to Section 6(1)(g). Raise it in writing and escalate.
The Code replaces the old inspector with an Inspector-cum-Facilitator. This officer can inspect establishments, advise employers, and act on complaints about breaches, including denial of an appointment letter or a free health check.
Yes. Section 6(1)(f) makes it a duty of every employer to issue a letter of appointment to every employee, in the form prescribed by the appropriate Government. This is a universal entitlement and does not depend on the size of the establishment.
Yes. The Code says that where an employee was not issued an appointment letter before the Code commenced, the employer must issue one within three months of the commencement. The Code came into force on 21 November 2025, so existing un-lettered staff are covered.
The employer. Section 6(1)© requires the health examination to be provided free of costs. Section 6(1)(g) separately bars any charge on the worker for a medical examination done for workplace safety and health. If a cost is deducted from your wages, that is contrary to the Code.
The Code provides it for employees of the age or class, in the establishments, that the appropriate Government prescribes by rules. The exact age band and covered class come from the notified rules, not the bare section. As of June 2026 the Central Rules are in draft, so confirm the current band with your labour department.
The Code says the letter carries the information and form prescribed by the appropriate Government. In practice the prescribed form records details such as your name and the employer's name, your designation and nature of work, your wages and wage period, and your date of joining. Rely on the fields in the notified form.
Complain to the Inspector-cum-Facilitator for your area, through the State labour department or, for central-sphere establishments, the central labour machinery. File a written complaint with your proof of employment. You can track the action with an RTI request to the labour department.
No. The OSH Code consolidates 13 laws and covers a wide range of establishments, including non-factory workplaces, subject to the thresholds and notifications in the Code and its rules. The appointment-letter right is framed for every employee in a covered establishment.
Reviewed by the RTI Wiki editorial team. Last reviewed: June 2026. This guide explains the law in general terms and is not legal advice. Confirm the current notified rules with your labour department.