Dock Workers (Safety, Health and Welfare) Act, 1986
No: 54 Dated: Dec, 07 1986
THE DOCK WORKERS (SAFETY, HEALTH AND WELFARE) ACT, 1986
ACT NO. 54 OF 1986
An Act to provide for the safety, health and welfare of dock workers and for matters connected therewith.
BE it enacted by Parliament in the Thirty-seventh Year of the Republic of India as follows:—
1. Short title, extent, commencement and application.—(1) This Act may be called the Dock Workers (Safety, Health and Welfare) Act, 1986.
(2) It extends to the whole of India.
(3) It shall come into force on such date1 as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint.
(4) It shall not apply to any ship of war of any nationality.
2. Definitions.—In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—
(a) “appropriate Government” means, in relation to any major port, the Central Government, and, in relation to any other port, the State Government;
(b) “cargo” includes anything carried or to be carried in a ship or other vessel;
(c) “Chief Inspector” means the Chief Inspector of Dock Safety, appointed under sub-section (1) of section 3;
(d) ”dock work” means any work in or within the vicinity of any port in connection with, or required for, or incidental to, the loading, unloading, movement or storage of cargoes into or from ship or other vessel, port, dock, storage place or landing place, and includes—
(i) work in connection with the preparation of ships or other vessels for receipt or discharge of cargoes or leaving port; and
(ii) chipping, painting or cleaning of any hold, tank, structure or lifting machinery or any other storage area in board the ship or in the docks;
(e) “dock worker” means a person employed or to be employed directly or by or through any agency (including a contractor) with or without knowledge of the principal employer, whether for remuneration or not, on dock work;
(f)“employer”, in relation to a dock worker, means the person by whom he is employed or is to be employed on dock work, whether for remuneration or not;
(g) “principal employer”, in relation to a dock worker employed or to be employed by or through any agency (including a contractor), means the person in connection with those work he is employed or is to be employed by such agency;
(h) “regulation” means a regulation made under this Act.
3. Inspectors.—(1) The appropriate Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint such person as it thinks fit to be the Chief Inspector of Dock Safety and such persons as it thinks fit to be Inspectors subordinate to the Chief Inspector for the purposes of this Act at such ports as may be specified in the notification.
(2) The Chief Inspector shall also exercise the powers of an Inspector.
(3) The Chief Inspector and all Inspectors shall be deemed to be public servants within the meaning of the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860).