Amendment To The Tamil Nadu Safety Officers (Duties, Qualification And Conditions Of Service) Rules.

This notification contains amendments to the Tamil Nadu Safety Officers (Duties, Qualifications and Conditions of Service) Rules, 2005. The changes have been made in exercise of the powers conferred by the Factories Act, 1948.

The key changes include the substitution of an existing clause with a new clause that specifies the qualifications required for a safety officer in a factory. The new clause states that a safety officer must possess any Diploma in Industrial Safety conducted by any Institute under the Directorate General, Factory Advice Service and Labour Institutes (DGFASLI), Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India or possess a full-time degree or a full-time Diploma in Industrial Safety and duration of not less than one year awarded by any University incorporated under the Central or State Acts or Department of Technical Education or Board of Technical Education of any State / Union Territories / Government of India. Additionally, the occupier of the factory must ensure that the Safety Officer appointed in the factory acquires adequate knowledge of the language spoken by the majority of the workers in the factory within one year of the date of such appointment.

Further, under the procedure for appointment of the Safety Officer, the rules now specify that job advertisements for the Safety Officer post must be published in English and on a prominent online job portal. Further changes have been made to the procedures for filling the position of Safety Officer on a deputation basis, and it is now to be done through the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health, with specific provisions regarding the recruitment process.

In cases where the post is intended to be filled by transfer or promotion from among the existing staff within the factory or related factories under the same Occupier or from Central or State Government Public Sector Undertakings or Government Establishments, the vacancy must be widely publicized among prospective staff using suitable methods.

Selection for the post of Safety Officer, whether through direct recruitment, transfer, promotion, or nomination, is to be made through a Selection Committee appointed by the occupier of the factory.